Review IRON SAVIOR ‘Firestar’

Iron Savior are an integral part of the German and European metal scene. Bandleader Piet Sielck and his three bandmates, Joachim ‘Piesel’ Küstner (guitar), Jan S. Eckert (bass) and Patrick Klose (drums), have managed to secure a rock solid status and what started in 1997 with the self-titled debut album has become a Hanseatic metal institution.

With ‘Firestar’ the 15th album of the four-piece now hits the record stores and this much can already be revealed, Iron Savior continue their journey through the universe of melodic power metal. Big choruses, good hooks and a proper portion of guitar power is what you can expect to hear on the new disc.

With ‘Nothing is Forever’ we start once at the end of the album. The song is one of the metallic anthems of the album. A blistering solo part and the right level of catchiness ensure the tune to be a melodic highlight on the album. And it seems, contrary to the song title, that at least this kind of music will never disappear. A similar anthemic approach, although faster is ‘In the Realm of Heavy Metal’. The entire power of this music genre is reflected in this song. The track already fascinates at the first listen and the chorus immediately sinks into one’s mind.

By the way, ‘In the Realms of Heavy Metal’ is one of three tracks that found their way onto the record relatively late. Shortly before the recording of the new album was finished, Sielck had a creative push and three songs were finished in no time. The mentioned track is one of them. In addition, the title track and smashing finale ‘Together as One’ are last minute songs that luckily could still make their way onto the album.

The musical spectrum of Iron Savior ranges from the very fast ‘Firestar’ to the thunderous ‘Through the Fires of Hell’. The latter song is not only a stomping metal track. It is also a musical thank you to Sielck’s wife who together with the bandleader and family went through ups and downs all these years.

It is such personal lyrics that give the record a credibility. It is mainly about respect, tolerance and the belief in the good, without denying the evil. This positive spirit also runs throughout the album’s songs and appears authentic from beginning to end.

Iron Savior remain true to themselves with ‘Firestar’. Smashing guitars, big hymns and fast metal songs, that’s what the new record offers, combined with great melodies. Headbanging is simply a must while listening to these songs.