Iron Fire refuse to give up; starting out as a promising young True Metal band, getting signed by Noise Records and putting out two more or less successful albums, the band was fired by their label, and suffered various line-up changes, leaving singer and composer
Martin Steene as only original member.
Now, here's one more demo from the band that refuse to die!
After a brief intro, this demo starts with one of the best songs
Iron Fire has ever made in my opinion,
Firegod! The classic happy sounding Power Metal riff, which dominates this track, leads my thought to bands like
Gamma Ray, and the chorus is bound to spin in your head and make you play this song over and over! As opposed to a lot of these straight forward Euro Power Metal songs, this one doesn't get boring, even after many spins!
The demo continues with what have already become a small classic for the band,
Ironhead.
Continuing in the same vein, this is straight in-your-face melodic Power/Heavy Metal with a catchy chorus and a great flow to it. Well done!
Millennium Warriors is another great, catchy rocker, a little on the simple side, but still a cool song, which I just can't help but sing a long to.
Black Heart has something special. Martin Steene uses his voice in different ways during the track, from deep, almost talking vocals to his normal high pitch. The keyboard sounds in the background give the song a strange, spacey atmosphere. Add to this a great chorus and an unpredictable way of evolving, and we have a very cool and original tune!
With
Days Of Tragedy we get a cool and melodic rock ballad, with a melancholic edge to it. Crying guitars and emotional vocals make the core of this sweet song, and together with the lyrics, creates a feeling that hope will shine through sadness.
A highly melodic guitar intro takes us straight to
The Underworld. A well executed titletrack full of great hooklines and majestic, layered vocals. Melodic and hard at the same time, this is one of the best songs.
Again a good melody and hard riffs make up the core elements of
Prophecy of Pain. A
King Diamond inspired voice in the chorus chanting "Evil never dies" sounds cool, and adds to the mysterious and spooky mood, which runs though the song, thanks to an inventive use of keyboards. A very interesting and captivating tune!
Drowning In Blood is a little on the simple side and not as high class as most of the songs. Though far from terrible, it tends to get a little boring compared to the rest of the disc.
Ending this demo is a live version of
Running Wild's classic
Under Jolly Roger, a song the band has played live on several occasions and that has almost become a classic at their live shows. Though the sound leaves a lot to wish for, it's a fun tribute, but probably most for people who have actually been at an
Iron Fire show.
As always with
Iron Fire, there's not much ground breaking stuff to be found, but the songwriting is just great!
Summing up, this is a great demo from a well-kept Metal secret from Denmark, offering lots of cool hooklines, great riffing and memorable choruses.
The demo is very energetic and it's clear that these guys love playing! There's a certain drive in the well-written music, which makes this a highly enjoyable experience!
Be sure to check out the official
Iron Fire homepage for songs and more information on this excellent Danish act!
Written by
Nina Friday, August 13, 2004
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