Year : 2011 (10th Anniversary Edition 2021)
Style : Power Metal
Country : Germany
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 149 mb
Bio:
Iron Savior is a German power metal band that formed in Hamburg, Germany in 1996. Following a period of several years working behind the scenes in music production, multi-instrumentalist and producer/engineer Piet Sielck joined with former Helloween bandmate Kai Hansen and then-drummer for Blind Guardian Thomen Stauch in a new project that would blend power metal with a high-concept science fiction story.The band's debut album Iron Savior introduced the story that would be told over the course of multiple albums, featuring a self-aware space vessel called the Iron Savior and its relationship to the mythical lost civilization of Atlantis.Critics have compared Iron Savior's sound and musical approach to classic heavy metal bands like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Queensrÿche.Kai Hansen's presence in the band brought to the Iron Savior albums on which he appeared a style heavily influenced by Gamma Ray and Helloween.Since its inception, Iron Savior has released eight studio albums, two EPs, and two singles.Despite numerous lineup changes, Piet Sielck has continued to direct the band and is currently the only remaining founding member.On February 28, 2014, the band will release their newest album Rise of the Hero via AFM Records.
Album:
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of "The Landing" by Power Metal veterans IRON SAVIOR the album will be rereleased as a remixed and remastered version.Being obsessed with one corner of the metal universe is a double-edged sword for a musician. On one hand, after years of playing oneself into a corner, the level of of skill and polish gained can be impressive indeed. On the other, a lack of dynamic expression is sure to be evident. If there's any band that illustrates this perfectly, it's got to be Iron Savior. In terms of consistent, professional output, I'm hard pressed to think of more than a handful of bands that can match Piet and his crew. But there's no doubt that over the years the music has run together, to the point where it's difficult to chart a rate of creative growth to any significant degree.When I read comments about this band different people have their favorite album, and it's all over the map. One guy likes Unification. The next guy swears Condition Red is their best. And some (like me) prefer The Landing. Each can put forth reasons for their opinion, but I suspect it's mostly because when you first hear Iron Savior, that's the album you will love most. After that, it steadily declines into same-ness until finally settling into boredom.Perhaps not surprisingly, my introduction to Iron Savior - other than a few random songs - was The Landing. And even less surprisingly, I hold firm to my opinion that it's their best album. So as I write this, just know that I understand my bias, and I don't really care. The Landing is grand, and I often return to it when I want to hear good power metal.There's an awful lot to love here. Production-wise, The Landing is obviously a new peak for the band, with every instrument in perfect mix, each performance flawlessly laid down, and Piet's growly, yet soaring voice presiding over everything with zeal and elegance. I love the guitar tone on display, striking an effective balance between distortion and punch, raging right through the center of the frequency spectrum, yet controlled and tightly executed. Nack and Eckert lay down the low end, without a ton of imagination, but on point. There's nary an out-of-place whack or strum to be found. Piet applies his vocal flair, an instantly-recognizable voice unlike so many other bands in this subgenre. These are professionals at work. The years of writing and recording many songs comes through loud and clear.Stylistically I'd be remiss not to agree a little bit with Iron Savior's detractors. To say the band is essentially Judas Priest, Gamma Ray, and Blind Guardian crushed together into a slick package isn't far from the truth. But wearing influences on your sleeve isn't an Iron Savior trademark. Many bands do it, especially post-millennium, and especially within the realms of power metal, where clearly innovation does not happen to the degree that it does in other corners of the metal universe.What The Landing brings to the table is a group of extremely well-crafted songs, ranging from the accessible opening track The Savior, to the Blind Guardian tinged, speedy Starlight, to the anthemic Hall of the Heroes. One of the greatest assets they bring to bear is the art of the key change, something many bands fail at, yet consistently Piet's writing includes fantastic examples. Most of these songs stick with tried-and-true chord patterns and drum rhythms, but they also kick into different modalities with ease, moving from key to key, sometimes re-using the same riff and other times moving into something completely different. Their best songs, such as March of Doom and Faster Than All, hit extremely hard and it's usually around a particularly effective key change, such as the chorus in the former or the bridge in the latter. And there are just enough tasty riffs to satisfy guitar players like myself, such as the openers in March of Doom and Moment In Time.You won't find much different lyrically on The Landing from any other Iron Savior album. Piet is obsessed with cybernetic space travelers from beyond time, on some existential journey to save mankind or fight some nameless evil, presumably also from somewhere beyond time. Seriously, this is the seventh album in their catalog and it opens with The Savior. It's not hard to figure out that this topic will wind its way through every Iron Savior release until Piet hangs it up. The other topic Piet favors is nostalgia for the metal of old, which shows up in songs like R.U. Ready? and Heavy Metal Never Dies. Sometimes I can't tell if Piet is serious about this stuff or tongue-in-cheek. Heavy Metal Never Dies might have been a rally cry in 1988, but now it's almost laughable. I suspect he really does think this is cool, which makes it amusing, and more than a little cheesy. But the vocal performance is special, as always, and it forgives much of the sophomoric writing. And heck, I like a space fantasy as much as the next guy, having listened to Gamma Ray for decades and having been a Star Trek geek for my whole life.What The Landing might lack in creative lyrics, though, it more than makes up for in melody. Piet's vocal melody writing is truly special, far out-pacing the average, and making Iron Savior's songs seem much better than the sum of their parts. Very seldom does he write lazy vocal melodies that simply follow the music, or drone on one or two notes. And he doesn't settle for a good chorus and then hang up his shoes. The majority of each song contains soaring, genuinely singable melodies that keep them interesting. It's true that he doesn't have as wide a range as some others, but I view Piet to be on the level of Hansi Kürsch in terms of having a recognizable voice. A favorable way to view Iron Savior is as a launchpad for Piet's singing.When I put it all together, I find The Landing to be one of the better power metal albums in my catalog. I listen to it often, it's fun to play along with, and satisfying to sing those melodies. Ultimately, if you can't innovate musically, then you've got to write and produce fantastic songs. And they've got to be performed with power and conviction. The Landing succeeds wildly on this level, and it's enough to keep me coming back.
Line-Up:
Piet Sielck - Vocals, Guitars (ex-Savage Circus, ex-Gentry, ex-Second Hell)
Jan-Sören Eckert - Bass, Vocals (additional) (Grimmark, ex-Charon, ex-Masterplan, ex-Running Wild (live), ex-Mydra)
Joachim "Piesel" Küstner - Guitars (ex-Lacrimosa)
Thomas Nack - Drums, Percussion
Tracklist:
01. Descending (Intro)
02. The Savior
03. Starlight
04. March Of Doom
05. Heavy Metal Never Dies
06. Moment In Time
07. Hall Of The Heroes
08. R. U. Ready
09. Faster Than All
10. Before The Pain
11. No Guts No Glory
12. Coming Home (re-recorded)
13. Atlantis Falling (re-recorded)
14. Underneath The Radar (Bonus Track)
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
