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Rise Of The Hero

Rise Of The Hero

BY Iron Savior

(Customer Reviews)
$15.00
SKU: AFM475-2
Label:
AFM Records
Category:
Power Metal
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"If the Germans perform half as well in the upcoming FIFA World Cup as they do in (power) metal this year, every other country can just about pack in its silly shoes. Primal Fear, Van Canto, Persuader, Stormwarrior, Freedom Call and Vanden Plas have already earned their names in the annals of the year, and now we can add Iron Savior to that ever-expanding list. A list that may very soon feature the likes of Axxis, Sinbreed, Brainstorm, Gamma Ray and Edguy as well. Not to speak of rumored returns from Orden Ogan, Mob Rules, Dark At Dawn, and Blind Guardian. Oomph.

For a fan of Teutonic power and prog like me, it’s a great year to live in. Iron Savior has always stood as one of my favorites and the kind of band that never got the proper attention. Rise Of The Hero comes hot on the heels of The Landing, an album that put the savior machine back into our lives, but didn’t kick up the kind of dust that Condition Red and others once had. Fair enough, I’m comparing with a classic of the genre here and a peak that may never again be reached. As long as Piet Sielck and co. give it their best shot, though, you won’t hear me complaining. Not over the howling of “WHEN THE LAAAST HEEEROOO WILL DIIIEEE!” at least.

Because “Last Hero” is one gamma cannon blast of an opener. Think “Titans Of Our Time” and shiver. I’m not sure where the whole “Iron Savior” concept went, but this does feel like the ballsy space opera that Iron Savior rose onto the scene with. For a clearer reference see “From Far Beyond Time”, which features all your favorite Iron Savior-phrases including “for the freedom and for the world”, “to protect and to serve”, and of course, “savior machine”. From Star Wars we go to Lord Of The Rings with more sword-and-sorcery inspired titles such as the titanic “Thunder From The Mountains”, surely-a-Stormwarrior-cover “Iron Warrior”, and the somewhat disappointingly plodding “Dragon King”.

Iron Savior clearly gets its inspiration from just about anything. Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill-diptych forms the background of “Revenge Of The Bride” and its “DEADLY VIIIPEEERS!” makes us want to watch the Uma Thurman-led splatterfest once again. For a worthy sequel to their Seal-cover “Crazy”, the Germans went to “Dance With Somebody” from someone whose name I had to Google (Mando Diao it says). Meetings between heavy metal and pop are always a chunk of fun and this is no exception. “The Demon” in turn makes us sad in thinking Sielck is no longer a part of Savage Circus, as its grand ominous tone and “Evil Eyes”-echoes prove how much of a force the singer/guitarist was in that band. On the uplifting side are the come-on-get-up-and-go-do-stuff “Bleeding Heart”, and every heavy metal powered man’s new anthem, “Fistraiser”.

All in all, this feels like the most complete Iron Savior record in quite some time. The guitar crunch could not be mistaken for anyone else’s, Sielck’s vocals deservedly step forward from the backings of such foster bands as Mercury Falling and – what’s in a name – Mindfeeder, and his production that those bands shared in will always remind us of Iron Savior first. Rise Of The Hero is everything its title implies: a rise, heroic, a conjunction, and an article. OK so maybe not “everything”, but ENOUGH." - Black Wind Metal

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  • Astra

    Broken Balance
    Progressive Metal
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  • Exodus

    Bonded By Blood
    Metal/Hard Rock
    Reissue of the first album from this legendary SF thrash band. Comes with two live bonus tracks.
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  • Almah

    Unfold
    Power Metal
    I'm not the biggest fan of speed metal but this one is surprisingly good.  Almah features former Angra lead vocalist Edu Falaschi.  The music has good intensity and movement.  Lots of hooks, staccato crunch and shredding solos.  I'm suprised at how melodic it is.  Falaschi was always a more than able replacement for Andre Matos and he does a great job here fronting his own band."Allow me to begin with a quote: "There comes a moment in a man’s life when it is necessary to make a radical decision in order to move forward with dignity and renewed energy”. This is from the statement that famed Brazilian Metal vocalist and composer, Edu Falaschi, released, upon his departure from home country metal giants, ANGRA. I had been a fan of them for a long time, and also Falaschi's newer solo work. His leaving of one of my favorite bands managed to turn from a disappointment to a renewal of hope for some of my favorite music, for he, if I may say, as one of the musicians I most genuinely admire (that title does not get thrown around) continued on with his solo band, ALMAH. The previous releases with the band, now a permanent act, marked a step away in style from his ANGRA, not only in compositional style, but also in vocals; no longer was he constrained to the high-pitched, soaring melodies 'required' by a power metal band; in ALMAH, as he has already said, he has found his niche.This brings me to the release of the band's latest release, "Unfold". Different again from the modern, progressive and heavy "Motion", this new piece appears to combine the elements most exquisite found in his previous solo work, and even some ANGRA-like hints. As I could have expected, it was a thrilling experience; and yet, not one piece of it was predictable. "In My Sleep" is one hell of an opening track, that is riled up with a technical drum roll by a monster on the battery, Marcelo Moreira, that explodes into a lightning-fast and energetic power metal riffage, that tends to (rightly) dominate most of the song. Falaschi once again proves his vocal abilities are nowhere near restricted, and floats between gruff baritones and soaring melodies; this kind of versatility is found on each of the album's exquisite tracks. Upon listening to the balladic "Warm Wind", I am pleasantly reminded of ANGRA's "Wishing Well", one of my favorite ANGRA tracks of all time. In part, this new piece is stylistically similar, but retains that slightly heavier, slightly more unpredictable, "ALMAH" touch, and is smoothed over by one of my favorite Falaschi vocal performances of all time."Raise the Sun" rightly chosen as the single to showcase "Unfold" in all its glory. It begins mid-tempo and graceful, but quickly ascends to a progressive grove rife with riff mastery that pops up from time to time, and contains some beautiful bass lines. Raphael is certainly an expert at his instrument, which is saying something, since ALMAH's former (and current ANGRA) bassist, Felipe Andreoli, is a bassist most influential to me. "Believer" once again pushes the musical envelop within this album, and is a brutally intricate and furious track, full of powerful, thrashy riffage, yet also infectiously catchy vocal melodies; one of my two most favorite track on the album. Finally, I cannot finish writing this up without touching on "Treasure Of The Gods", a meaty, nine-and-a-half-minute composition, made up of many passages that, while are stylistically different, amalgamate to create my other favorite piece. On this track, I hear some of the most complicated and intricate drum, bass and guitar interplay, and beautiful guitar solos, and stellar vocal belt-outs. This song is metal personified."Unfold" is one of the albums I have ever had the most pleasure writing about and listening to. It is a reminder to myself and other fans why Brazil is ultimately a metal powerhouse; after leaving ANGRA, continuing ALMAH was the best thing Falaschi could have done, and I hope 'that, with them, he continues to belt out more masterpieces in the future." - Metal Temple
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