Iron Savior have released their third “reforged” album where they re-record older tracks and the result makes us believe this is a good thing…
Iron Savior has been crafting great power metal since 1996 and the release of their self-titled debut in 1997. Since then there have been 15 or so full length studio albums and one full length live album. From a personnel standpoint, the band is best known for founder Piet Sielck and other members from Helloween and Blind Guardian. My first exposure to the band was reviewing Rise of the Hero in 2014 and I’ve been hooked ever since. Think great guitar riffs and solos, fast and pounding rhythm section and strong vocals and you know Iron Savior. Since I’m relatively late to becoming a fan, I look forward to these updated recordings of the “classic” songs from the band, although purists may cringe. For Reforged – Machine World, Iron Savior have rerecorded a selection of songs from Unification (1999) through Battering Ram (2004) and added in a cover of Judas Priest’s “Starbreaker” (1977).
From a reviewer standpoint, this is almost an hour and half of music to cover, much/all of which has been previously covered since these are re-recordings of older songs, so we can skip a lot of formalities. Many of these versions are authentic to the originals while others are heavier and/or faster or slower, but certainly all are recognizable compared to their origins. Expect great arrangements, strong and fast riffs, great guitar solos, and a solid rhythm section that sets the pace and provides a solid foundation for each song. The cover of “Starbreaker” is interesting in that the original song was released nearly 50 years ago at this point and this cover is very representative of the original down to the guitar solo and the dual guitar harmonies, while yet still sounding more like Iron Savior than Judas Priest. Production, mixing, and mastering are as perfect as on other Iron Savior releases. Basically, this is what a textbook example of power metal should be. Fun, melodic, driving, anthemic choruses, great musicianship, and impossible to not bang your head to.
Rating: 9/10
Written by John Jackson
Tracklist
- Never Say Die
- Eye of the World
- Walls of Fire
- Time Will Tell
- Dragons Rising
- Stonecold
- Machine World
- Stand Against the King
- Break It Up
- Contortions of Time
- Wings of Deliverance
- Touching the Rainbow
- I Will Be There
- Forevermore
- H.M. Powered Man
- Starbreaker (Judas Priest cover)
Release Date: August 22nd, 2025
Record Label: Reigning Phoenix Music
Band Members
Piet Sielck – Guitars, Lead Vocals
Joachim “Piesel” Küstner – Guitars, Backing Vocals
Patrick Opitz – Bass, Backing Vocals
Patrick Klose – Drums, Percussion
Weblinks
Band site: https://www.iron-savior.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ironsavior1996
Video for “Machine World”
Video for “Dragon’s Rising”