None but the Brave

Ironsword is a Portuguese “epic metal” band that seemingly has one mission: to emulate the feeling of classic Manilla Road. And surprisingly, they actually succeed in some regard. Tasty riffs, sword and sorcery lyrics, and vocals that captures some of that previously mentioned Manilla Road magic. The main question though is why should you listen to Ironsword when you can listen to Manilla Road? And if they have some sort of sound of their own, how does it hold up?

Well, to be perfectly honest, while Mark Shelton’s Kansas legend is an obvious well of inspiration for the Portuguese trio, the music manages to keep a certain amount of character and identity. The main drive for this distinction is Ironsword’s focus on short and chorus-driven songs, sometimes a far cry from the more complex and esoteric Manilla Road tracks. The opening Forging the Sword illustrates this perfectly, with its chugging riffs, simple drums, and an excellent interplay between vocalist Tann’s clean and more barbarian-esque singing. This fist-pumping formula can also be found on tracks such as Calm Before the Storm and Vengeance Will Be Mine, both standing as some of the album’s best cut.

But other than the all guns blazing approach, Ironsword also offers some truly enthralling solo sections, especially on Cursed and Damned and the closing track The Shadow Kingdom. Cursed and Damned doesn’t encompass the album’s strongest verse or even chorus, but the straight forwardness of the instruments coupled with the laidback and almost emotional solo just hits the mark perfectly. The latter track, The Shadow Kingdom, also offers some outstanding moments. The clean guitar intro is borrowed straight from your favourite Manilla Road album, as is the solo section. This segment, which plays as a jam-session, closes the album in an extravagant fashion, sounding almost nostalgic in its delivery. Out of the album’s scattered Manilla Road worship, this is the most glaring example, but without sounding out of place or mismatched. One of the absolute highlights.

The biggest flaw, however, lies in the band’s approach to song writing. Having an album that is comprised of mostly straight forward “barbarian metal” anthems does the album more bad than good. The album doesn’t really have any weak tracks or fillers, but after you’ve listened through the first four songs, everything starts to sound too much alike. Ring of Fire and Betrayal, while good on their own terms, just blends together without any defining traits. To make matters worse, the start of both tracks are almost identical, further driving home the point of their lack of a clear distinction. The Usurper and Army of Darkness also suffers from this problem, making the whole mid-section incredibly tedious to listen through. This is especially sad as none of the tracks are badly written or unlistenable. Rather, more thought should be put into the overall sound and each track’s relationship to the one that came before and the one that comes after.

Special mention, though, goes to the title track and Eye for an Eye. They both “slows” down the tempo to give some much-needed air after a speedy beginning and a suffocating mid-section, which works in both of their favours. The former also sports one of the album’s catchiest choruses, with some layered vocals to emphasize the epic side more than the “barbarism” of the surrounding songs.

The bandmembers all play their roles sufficiently, with guitarist and vocalist Tann being the main attraction. Some great riffs are scattered around the album’s 46 minutes, as well as a vocal performance strongly reminiscent of Mark Shelton of Manilla Road, especially during the clean parts. The rhythm section thumps along and are neither annoying or flashy, serving the music adequately. Production wise, there is nothing to criticize. Everything sounds crisp, while also maintaining the barbaric soundscape. The cover art is also worth mentioning as it truly captures the sound of the band: a barbarian slashing through ghouls on an open battlefield. One instance where the music can be judged entirely based on the sleeve design.

Overall, Ironsword have cemented their complete control when it comes to playing rough, epic and headbanging music. The paradoxical enticing plod of the title track and Eye for an Eye, together with the take no prisoners approach of the remaining bulk all serve to show off the band’s own brand of epic metal. And yes, the music can sound eerily similar to that of Manilla Road at times, especially on The Shadow Kingdom, but those moments are cherished more than they are frowned upon. The only barrier standing between this album and true greatness though, is the track list of 12 songs and an immensely tiring mid-section. But despite these flaws, the album is recommended to any fan of either Manilla Road or the old school Manowar fans. Expect barbaric epic metal with a dose of Mark Shelton.