ALBUM REVIEW: Firestar – Iron Savior

Far be it for anyone to accuse IRON SAVIOR of not earning the right to be self-indulgent. There are scant few bands who wield talent and experience as deftly as the proverbial fantasy swordsman – it’s your HELLOWEEN, your GAMMA RAY, and them – making it all the more impressive that, 28 years into doing power metal better than pretty much anyone, the German four-piece haven’t succumbed to inclinations to phone it in. They have a reputation to uphold, after all. They may not have invented the wheel, but it’s still spinning thanks in no small part to their particularly beefy brand of auditory sword and sorcery.

That opener doesn’t hide that “consistency” is the Word of the Day here. Even with that said, however, Firestar does still daub a few circles on the spot the difference image this time around. While 2020’s Skycrest was tinged with darker elements reflecting a time of pandemic-related struggle, Firestar bursts through the clouds heralded by the sort of wailing bombast fit for the coronation of the King of Heavy Metal himself. It positively sparkles from the word go, the compulsory opening instrumental salvo of opener The Titan a reborn phoenix of soaring optimism, with a blade in one set of talons and a block of cheese in the other.

From there, it’s IRON SAVIOR in a nutshell, a foot-to-the-floor onslaught of yell-along choruses and lightning speed everything else. Curse Of The Machinery is a highlight in its own tier, a ground-shaking power metal speedball sentencing anyone in its way to death by a thousand blacksmithing hammers. It’s definitive stuff, the kind of thing to point at and say “this is IRON SAVIOR, listen to more of it right now”. Little else on the record matches it blow-for-blow but certainly comes close; try listening to the immensely silly but immediately satisfying In The Realm Of Heavy Metal without falling even a little bit in love with its daftly endearing charms.

Now, “consistency” as a buzzword does cut both ways. Here, though, it’s a testament to the quality of the material and onboard talent that the lack of variety doesn’t become a black mark-worthy issue. There are moments where the road runs dangerously close to the cliff edge of same again, sure – Through The Fires Of Hell is a serviceable romp with not much but a QUEEN-esque chorus line to prop it up – but the band’s steering of the hot-rod across the asphalt keeps it from the plunge into mediocrity. Piet Sielck still has pipes for days, raising the vocal bar for growly lows and wailing highs on everything he touches, while drummer Patrick Klose must have ankles like fleshy tennis balls to rip the double kick like he does on the immediately satisfying title track. Sometimes it’s not what you do, but how you do it, and boy, do IRON SAVIOR know how to do it.

Marrying panache and razor-sharp production with every European power metal trope going, Firestar is yet another rock-solid tick in the checklist of a band who don’t know how to do anything but rock-solid. It benefits from the core idea of “let’s just make a really good power metal album” far more than it ever would from trying to launch the entire concept into strange new realms and, while it might not live long in the memory after the fact, it’s as good a time as you’re going to get from the genre while it’s happening to you. Rest easy, IRON SAVIOR, your legacy remains intact.

Rating: 7/10

Firestar is set for release on October 6th via AFM Records.

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