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Iron Fire: Among The Dead

Danish power metal group Iron Fire released their first album Thunderstorm back in the year 2000, and sixteen years later we welcome their eighth recording. Tilted Among The Dead this is one arresting metal album with a zombie apocalypse theme. This time around Iron Fire are clearly in heavy mode with some thrash influence and ballsy metal a plenty, gripping hooks and some darker elements, and vocally of which they are mostly of the clean kind there's also a harsh raspy edge with minimal growls. Also there are no keyboards to speak of this time around as this metal trio looks to beef up that grunt factor.

"Intro (The Lost City)" effectively sets the scene as the numbers of infected rapidly rises, then it's time for the tempo shifting title track "Among The Dead" as "the chaos is ruling the earth", it's heavy, melodic and rich in appeal as is another top metal track the zombified "Tornado of Sickness" which tells of the extinction of man and Iron Fire brings their metal thunder to the chorus. Iron Fire takes you to "Higher Ground" with more of their spirited metal, then it's the mid paced "Iron Eagle". Iron Fire close with a power ballad "When the Lights go out" and it's a strong effort though I'd rather be rocking out to dynamic metal tracks like "Tornado of Sickness". Metallica's classic "For Whom The Bells Tolls" is the bonus track on some editions, and it's a fitting choice, especially with all that doom and gloom theme on this album it really doesn't seem out of place in the scheme of things.

If you dig the ballsy power metal of groups like Mystic Prophecy and Rage, and don't mind tales of the living dead then you really can't go wrong with Iron Fire's Among The Dead.


Track Listing
1. Intro (The Lost City)
2. Among the Dead
3. Hammer of the Gods
4. Tornado of Sickness
5. Higher Ground
6. Iron Eagle
7. Made to Suffer
8. The Last Survivor
9. No Sign of Life
10. Ghost from the Past
11. When the Lights go out
12. For whom the Bell Tolls (Bonus track)

Added: January 17th 2017
Reviewer: Scott Jessup
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 1641
Language: english

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Iron Fire: Among The Dead
Posted by Steven Reid, SoT Staff Writer on 2017-02-26 17:19:11
My Score:

To my great shame I must have been looking the other way when Denmark's Iron Fire released their previous seven albums, for while I've heard their name bandied around, Among The Dead (it's difficult not to instinctively type Among The Living there…), is the first time I've heard them. A little research would suggest that I should have been expecting some type of keyboard infused, demons, witches and wizardry infested power metal (the blurb calls them Denmark's best selling power metal band – although I'm struggling to think of their opposition for that title?), so why is it that that's exactly what I don't find here?

Well, having slimmed from a four piece to a trio, ditched the keyboards of old, and moved their attention away from the fantasy packed lyrics, to these fresh ears, the only power left in this metal is a few kick drum galloping moments and a collection of strafing riffs from the schools of Maiden, Iced Earth and Helloween. With singer (and now bassist) Martin Steele running the gamut from rasping outbursts to throaty growls via some engaging storytelling, and guitarist Kirk Backarach a master of staccato bursts and full throttle dive bombs, Among The Dead sounds far more like a NWOBHM influenced thrash attack. Everything from Megadeth to Metallica, Anthrax to Testament bursting forth, and while that guarantees that originality is an endangered species here, it doesn't mean that the results aren't alive and kicking.

The album itself also deals with an endangered species… the human race! The band jumping aboard the zombie bandwagon to tell a tale of undead apocalypses and the fight to survive against insurmountable odds. The topic may well be geeky flavour of the month, however it does make for a clever centre point for this album to revolve round. Having left the band in 2000, returning drummer Gunnar Olsen has no problem bringing the energy this sort of outing needs to thrive, although in keeping with everything else on show, he keeps it reasonably simple and expected, but again, it's hard to suggest his work doesn't hit the spot nicely. Something that can also be said for the pound and pummel of "The Last Survivor", razor sharp "Higher Ground" where grunts are mixed in with barked vocals, and more melodically inclined "Hammer Of The Gods". Keeping in the lyrical ethos of the album, a cover of Metallica's "For Whom The Bell Tolls" closes the proceedings out in fine style. A song that we've heard reworked a hundred times still possessing the necessary oomph in the hands of Iron Fire.

It would be untrue to suggest that Among The Dead is the sort of album that's really going to set your world on fire and yet neither can I criticise it… well, OK, the slower "When The Lights Go Out" that closes out the zombie holocaust would have been better off left on the cutting room floor. But apart from that this is a solid, well worked thrash album with a few other excellently executed elements throw in. Fans of the genre will find much to entertain them here.



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