Released by: AFM Records

Release Date: May 20th, 2016

Genre: Power Metal

Line Up:

Piet Sielck
Jan-S Eckert
Thomas Nack
Joachim “Piesel” Küstner

Tracklist:

01.Under Siege (Intro)
02.Titancraft
03.Way Of The Blade
04.Seize The Day
05.Gunsmoke
06.Beyond The Horizon
07.The Sun Won’t Rise In
Hell
08.Strike Down The
Tyranny
09.Brother In Arms
10.I Surrender
11.Rebellious

For 20 years Iron Savior have been performing their unique Power Metal vision for the metal masses, eking out their existence in a genre often plagued with bands simply rehashing the same tired sounds and tropes created by the progenitors of the style. I’ve always found pleasure listening to this band. I’m not as knowledgeable about them as I should be, but I’ve heard enough of their music to know that they’re not your ordinary Power Metal band, despite utilizing some aspects of the typical Power Metal sound. Created as a studio project by Piet Sielck, a man who had been working behind the scenes in the metal world, teamed up in 96 with Kai Hansen of Gamma Ray and Helloween and Thomen Stauch of Blind Guardian taking elements of the three aforementioned legendary bands of the Power Metal world and gave it a sci-fi angle, many of their albums connecting together telling the tale of a self-aware spacecraft named after the band. Instead of dragons and wizards it was lasers and aliens.

With their upcoming 9th album Titancraft, the band are still at it, though Sielck is the only remaining original member. As the band’s leader it stands to reason why the music still remains just as great as it always has. Still brandishing chugging guitar riffs, blazing solos, and a driving backbeat propelling the spacecraft onward and upward, tracks like “Beyond the Horizon,” “Way of the Blade,” “Strike Down the Tyranny,” and “I Surrender” hold up just as well to anything else I’m familiar with in their catalog. Piet’s vocals still have that distinct gruff tone to it while at the same time projecting such strength giving the songs such emotion and power.

A band like Iron Savior is one that I credit for helping me to keep giving Power Metal a shot. Continuing to put out great albums like Titancraft show why they’ve had longevity and a strong fanbase. The bands that started it all and those that come up later and try to take the style to different levels are the ones that impress me, and Iron Savior definitely fall into the latter category. This is an excellent album that should please any fan of the band or the style itself.

Written by: Chris Martin