Iron Savior – Kill Or Get Killed
Album Review By Rainer Kerber
Hamburg is a stronghold of heavy metal. Bands like Helloween, Gamma Ray or Running Wild have their roots in the Hanseatic city. You could expand the list. And from Hamburg come Iron Savior. Singer and guitarist Piet Sielck founded the band in 1996. Permanent lineup changes made sure that he is also the only remaining founding member. The mastermind was influenced mainly by Judas Priest (Wikipedia). So, it is not surprising that the high priests of the metal in the early years were covered frequently. During this time, the band released eleven studio albums, a live album and several singles and EP’s. Almost three years after “Titancraft” (2016), the twelfth album of the Hamburger “Kill Or Get Killed” appears. Can this album become another band’s Power Metal classic?
The quartet starts with the title song “Kill Or Get Killed”. Immediately the rough voice of mastermind Piet Sielck stands out. And as suggested by “Titancraft”, Iron Savior attaches great importance to polyphonic singing. This gives the songs an epic character. Outstanding is also the interaction of the guitars, whether with the riffs or with the solos. Also, the following “Roaring Thunder” is high-speed metal par excellence. For this purpose, a lyrics video was published. And the brilliant guitar solos – but that we already had. It gets really epic with “Eternal Quest” and later with “Never Stop Believing”. But without reducing the speed significantly. In contrast, “From Dust And Ruble” is a real metal stomper. Also, “Heroes Ascending” is a high-octane-stunner. Another highlight is “Until We Meet Again”. Here Iron Savior take the pace back clearly. But such a grandiose mid-tempo anthem is always possible. And finally, the northern lights will really get going again. Anyone who has expected a lot of bombast at the song title “Legends Of Glory” is wrong. The final song is a straightforward rocker enriched with melodic choruses.
To answer the question asked at the beginning. Yes, “Kill Or Get Killed” has what it takes to become another classic of Iron Savior. The Hamburg forge straight Teutons steel here. With their current album, Iron Savior play in the front row of German heavy metal bands. ” We got a kick out of doing the recordings and took care a lot.” That’s what Piet Sielck means. You cannot add anything to this understatement.
IRON SAVIOR – Roaring Thunder: https://youtu.be/dsDYvuWbrI4
Lineup:
Piet Sielck – Vocals, Guitars
Joachim “Piesel” Küstner – Guitars
Jan S. Eckert – Bass
Patrick Klose – Drums
Label: AFM Records
Out: March 8th, 2019
Playing time: 49:37
Track list:
- Kill Or Get Killed
- Roaring Thunder
- Eternal Quest
- From Dust And Ruble
- Sinner Or Saint
- Stand Up And Fight
- Heroes Ascending
- Never Stop Believing
- Until We Meet Again
- Legends Of Glory
Rating : 9/10
MHF Magazine/Rainer Kerber
