The Landing

I know a lot about Iron Savior, their legacy, and the amount of work accomplished by Piet Sielck in the power metal scene, but I really don't know jack about Iron Savior's music, their finest offering, or anything related to Piet Sielck. I'm lame like that. I put off this semi-legendary group for really no reason at all, until I found "The Landing." It was as if destiny wanted a date: a free promotional copy, my hunger for power metal, their metallic reputation and supposed consistency were exploding in my face all at once. I took the opportunity to finally give these guys a shot, and I am certainly not disappointed. It's pretty much a traditional slab of beefy, consistent power metal spiced with some excellent tunes scattered throughout Iron Savior's steel-covered gospel.

With the faction's many connections underneath the German power metal niche, it's really no surprise they have influence from some of their counterparts—Kai Hansen and other veterans were members at times, in fact. "The Landing," though, goes through a number of tempos and patterns which all represent the general theme of power metal, such as the rousing nodding of the "The Savior" or speedy melodies and riffs blessing a decent portion of the album's material. I get a vibe that these dudes really put the 'power' back in power metal, just the way I like. Simply put, there's a really impressive knack that allows Iron Savior to produce awesome ironclad anthems which sound fun and catchy, heavy and memorable. Really can't ask for anything more.

I'm personally fond of the album's rapid numbers, particularly the opening burst of ecliptic speed that baptizes the near-perfect "Starlight" and the uplifting bombardment that is "Faster Than All." A lot of the band's mid-paced numbers are really compelling too, with all the epic sing-a-long choruses and fiery songwriting that anthems of this nature should demonstrate. Most of “The Landing” is pretty good, but "Before the Pain" comes along as this 80s ballad that sucks the fun right out of the experience, and the not-so-grand finale of "No Guts, No Glory" serves as a slice of filler to end the record, strangely. Both tunes stick up the air, but not enough to make "The Landing" a disposable listen, and I'm fairly impressed with the overall effort provided by these stern veterans of German power metal. "The Landing" worked as an enjoyable introduction into the world of Iron Savior, so give it a shot too if you haven't jumped aboard the cosmic quest with Sielck and friends.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com