Iron Fire - Blade of Triumph
81%
A new package of to-be-reviewed promos came in and immediately one caught my attention. The artwork was simple, yet attracting. A warrior with a long blade standing on a Viking-like ship with its sails fully powered by the natural forces. Short said: the typical power metal cliché thing. Something I very dislike… As I took the info sheet that came along, what I feared became reality. As I read the biography of Iron Fire a little laugh could be heard. Iron Fire exists since the first year of the new millennium, but it seems to have had many ups and downs, leaving vocalist and founding member Martin Steene alone after some years. Apparently things didn’t go very fluent because, as I read, Steene’s thoughts are aimed at taking revenge on all those who doubted the strength of their power metal crusade. Well… with a little prejudice I started listening to the album. I must admit that I was curious in a way, wondering what I was to hear.
The album kicks off with ‘Dragonheart’. Great start if you ask me! Well produced sounds, tight played guitar riffs and well supporting drums enter my brain and immediately my foot starts tapping along. Then mystical warrior Steene starts to sing and pretty much immediately I am surprised. This power metal-cliché lover has a very nice and original voice! Through the album I was to learn that he can do many variations within his vocals and I enjoyed his singing for the full record! Blade of Triumph isn’t anything new and does not have anything really ‘amazing’ about it, yet every song was enjoyed by this power metal fan, and was played over and over again for weeks to come. The cliché lyrics as “die by the blade, die by the sword”, “raise the metal fist in the air, rebels everywhere” go along very well with the ambitious sounding music. And that’s the part I really dig about this band: ambitious.
The record contains eleven powerful songs. Some are mid-tempo and hard, some are slow and emotional. But the powerful atmosphere never leaves and gives an extra touch to the complete. Definitely worth buying if you’re into any kind of power metal and even for some open-minded fans of any other metal genre. Check this band out!
