The Metal Resource – mauce.nl

Legendary power metal band Iron Savior has re-recorded some of the band’s greatest songs in order to make sure the music in its best form is available to fans.

Formed in 1996 by ex-Helloween members Pat Sielck, Kai Hansen, and Blind Guardian drummer Thomen Stauch, Iron Savior is one of those bands who need little introduction to those familiar with European metal.  Since their self-titled debut in 1997, Iron Savior have released album after album of high quality power metal blending science fiction stories with the sounds of the New Wave of British Metal.  As has happened with most bands that have been around for over 20 years, personnel has changed quite a bit with Piet the lone remaining original member of the band, but this version has been around since at least Rise of the Hero in 2014 and operates as a well-oiled machine.

As with the other Iron Savior albums I’ve reviewed, this one proves to be a bit of challenge as well, simply because there are not enough superlatives available.  As a reviewer, I like to pretend to be the expert and manage to find something about albums I review that I don’t like.  Maybe the production is too clean or too raw, vocals to loud/quiet, bass and drums buried in the mix, and the like, but try as I might, I can’t find anything noteworthy that I don’t like about the album (just like other Iron Savior albums I’ve reviewed).  Although perhaps not as well-known as fellow power metallers and countrymen, Helloween, Iron Savior have been releasing high quality power metal since their self-titled in 1997.  Oddly enough, I was not exposed to them until Rise of the Hero (2014) and have been amazed with every release since then.

Reforged – Riding on Fire pulls extensively from the band’s early releases on Noise Records.  Apparently these albums could not be re-released for legal reasons but the band was free to re-record the songs, so they did just that.  In many ways, this is likely the best of both worlds for the fans, the songs get an updated sound, production, and performances and the older material is now widely available.  In the end, fans get a 19 song double cd digipak and/or colored vinyl versions.

As one would hope and expect at this point, Piet Sielck’s vocals are strong, smooth, and powerful, guitar work by Sielck and Piesel Küstner fills the songs with fast riffs and blazing solos, and the rhythm section of Jan Sören Eckert (bass) and Thomas Nack (drums) add considerable drive, structure, and complexity to the songs.  This is what power metal is all about.

Rating: 9.5/10

Written by John Jackson

Tracklist Digipak:

CD 1:
01. Riding On Fire (2017)
02. Battering Ram (2017)
03. Brave New World (2017)
04. Prisoner Of The Void (2017)
05. Titans Of Our Time (2017)
06. Eye To Eye (2017)
07. For The World (2017)
08. Mindfeeder (2017)
09. Watcher In The Sky (2017)
10. Mind Over Matter (2017)

CD 2:
11. Warrior (2017)
12. Iron Savior (2017)
13. Tales Of The Bold (2017)
14. No Heroes (2017)
15. Break The Curse (2017)
16. Condition Red (2017)
17. Protector (2017)
18. I’ve Been To Hell (2017)
19. Atlantis Falling (2017)

Band Members
Jan Sören Eckert : Bass guitar
Thomas Nack: Drums
Piesel Küstner: Guitar
Piet Sielck: Guitar&Vocals

Albums:
“Iron Savior” (EP) 1997
“Iron Savior” 1997
“Coming Home (Single) 1998
“Unification” 1999
“Interlude” (EP) 1999
“I’ve Been to Hell” (Single) 2000
“Dark Assault ” 2001
“Condition Red” 2002
“Battering Ram” 2004
“Megatropolis” 2007
“The Landing” 2011
“Rise of the Hero” 2014 [review]
“Live at the Final Frontier” 2015 [review]
“Titancraft” [review]

Record Label: AFM Records, Dec. 2017

Weblinks: Website / Facebook

Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission

Video (audio) for ‘Riding on Fire’

Video for ‘Battering Ram’