Year : 2017
Style : Power Metal
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 115 mb
Bio:
IRONFLAME is a traditional heavy/power metal entity born of multi-instrumentalist Andrew D'Cagna. Although the music of IRONFLAME finally came to life in late-2016, its growth into fruition had been decades in the making. Andrew grew up in the late-'80s/early-'90s listening to classic metal acts like Iron Maiden, Savatage, Helloween, and Judas Priest. He was also lucky enough to have been blessed with a singing voice that lent itself well to the genre. Despite Andrew's given ability, however, he rarely used it—instead becoming influenced by more extreme realms of metal and pursuing such musical interests for 15 years, playing various instruments in death and black metal bands.Andrew was then recruited by renowned guitarist Jim Dofka as vocalist for the band Dofka, where he honed his raw vocal talent and learned how to sing properly through 2010, performing on the Humanity Bleak album. Years later, upon the untimely death of a mutual friend, Dofka reunited for a one-night performance in October of 2016. These events stirred up many old feelings, and Andrew felt it was time to write an album of purely traditional metal.Thus, IRONFLAME was born.The end result is Lightning Strikes the Crown: a 40-minute tribute to the glory days of heavy metal. Free of pretension and arrogance, the music of IRONFLAME is catchy, familiar, and hook-laden—just good old fist-banging metal that is as honest as it is memorable. All of the instruments and vocals were performed/recorded by Andrew himself, with the exception of a handful of local guitar buddies recruited for solos—Jim Dofka among them.
Album:
You’ve got to hand it to Adam Neal. In a time when throngs of old-school bands are desperately trying to carve out their own niche and struggling to establish an identity in a saturated marketplace, Savage Master are instantly recognizable. Visually, the pride of Louisville, Kentucky present a striking image onstage, four hooded male musicians in black leather and chains (one with a giant upside-down cross tattooed on his chest) and a snarling female vocalist (Stacey Savage) who is equally capable of kicking your ass and rocking your world. But aside from the shock value of the live presentation, Savage Master have also hacked their own well-defined musical path through the heavy metal underbrush. Take a heaping dose of occult early-80s metal along the lines of Cirith Ungol, add a generous portion of New Wave of British Heavy Metal goodness, sprinkle in some punk attitude and a no-frills blue-collar approach to their craft, toss in lyrics extolling the three S’s (sin, sacrifice and Satan), and you’ll have a decent idea of what’s in store. Over the course of two well-received albums and numerous tours, guitarist Adam Neal and his bandmates have remained clear-eyed, clinging fast to this pure artistic vision regardless of the churning maelstrom around them in the underground metal scene. When you hear a Savage Master song, you know instantly it’s them, from the raw production values to the savage vocals to the distinctive riffing style and grimy guitar tone.The downside of such stubborn adherence to the path, of course, is that you run the risk of redundancy. How do you hold true to your vision while keeping your new material from sounding like a carbon copy (or worse, a pale imitation) of what you’ve done before? Judging by Savage Master’s forthcoming new mini-album (what’s the difference between a mini-album and an EP anyway?), this is not a problem for Neal and his merry crew of masked marauders. Entitled Creature of the Flames, this five-song release sounds like pure Savage Master through and through, but with a couple of interesting twists. High-velocity first single “Burning Leather” is a real “blood pumper” (to borrow Stacey’s perfect description of the track in a recent online post), but the guitars are noticeably more melodic than you’ve ever heard on a Savage Master song. Elsewhere, “Creature of the Flames” is a slow, doomy hymn. A truly haunting pounder clocking in at nearly six minutes, the title track is the longest Savage Master track to date and more nuanced than anything they’ve ever done before, with a couple of cool change-ups near the end. That galloping riff at around the 4:25 mark kills me every time. “Death or Glory” is an unexpected romp through the well-known Holocaust song, faithfully rendered but with their own stamp all over it. I’ve been listening to that song for three decades, yet they’ve made it feel like a Savage Master original. Remarkable. All of these touches make this mini-album feel fresh and vibrant, without stepping outside the circle of what the band are all about. So as not to leave the other two songs out of the equation, I’ll just say “Dark Enchantress” is vintage, mid-paced Savage Master at their best, with an earworm riff and lyrics about “sexual witchcraft,” whatever that is. And opener “Child of the Witch” is another winner, a midtempo headbanger with a terrific vocal from Stacey and a chorus that sticks immediately. I could see this one becoming a staple in the live set.It’s difficult to draw too many conclusions from a 5-song, 19-minute EP, or mini-album, or whatever. Nonetheless, I am convinced that that Creature of the Flames will keep Savage Master on the same upward trajectory they’ve enjoyed since the beginning. The songs are great, some of the best they’ve ever written. Stacey Savage delivers her most convincing vocal performance to date. No, her voice isn’t for everybody, but she sounds totally confident and totally in control here, more so than ever before. Also, I would be remiss not to mention the contributions of new drummer John Littlejohn, a good friend of mine from Mississippi who does a terrific job here. There are so many places where I hear the little touches he’s added, his own personal flair, yet remaining within the parameters of the song, that I can’t help but smile. Creature of the Flames may not win over those who’ve dismissed the band previously, but if you’ve ever enjoyed Savage Master before, mark your calendar for the October 13, 2017 release date and add this to your shopping list posthaste. And if you’ve somehow never heard Kentucky’s finest, well, it’s hard to imagine a better introduction point than Creature of the Flames. I bet these songs will be devastating live, and can’t wait to hear for myself next month at the Frost and Fire Festival in sunny California.
Line-Up:
Andrew D'Cagna - Everything - See also: Coldfells, Infirmary, Nechochwen, Obsequiae, Silverblood, Unwilling Flesh, ex-Angelrust, Brimstone Coven, ex-Dofka, ex-Moonthrone, ex-Dethroned, ex-Harvist
Tracklist:
01. Firestorm 04:44
02. Marching On 05:10
03. The Gorgon 04:41
04. Heavy Metal Warriors 05:06
05. Eternal Night 04:15
06. Fallen Glory 05:51
07. What We've Sown 04:23
08. Shadow Queen 04:56
09. Kingdom Come
10. Fighting Onward
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
