Heavy metal. A genre that inspires true loyalty and love from those who take it seriously; a genre that inspires passion and creativity and a genre that will remain forever incomprehensible to those whose eyes and ears are closed to anything but the misbegotten media representations of what it means to be a heavy metal fan. Metal’s niche appeal, however, is part of the reason for its strength, as those who dedicate their lives to the cause are amongst the most passionate, talented and creative individuals you could hope to meet, often pouring their heart and soul into an endeavour simply for the love of playing and whilst no one would deny a desire to live the Iron Maiden dream,  the reality is that most metal bands are formed from people who simply have to play, whether it be to ten people or ten thousand. Iron Knights clearly belong in this category – a group of talented musicians who are playing heavy metal because they know no other way. The album, with its monochrome skull artwork and tales of a society beset by disorder, is pure heavy metal in the vein of Saxon, Motorhead and Maiden with hints of Megadeth and Metallica strewn along the way, and it’s a powerful ride spread over eight tracks (plus three bonus tracks from the band’s previous line up, included as a before and after statement of intent).
The album opens well with ‘transparent’, which sees Paul Robbie’s rich bass tones give way to Jamie Gibson and Wayne Mann’s concerted guitar assault as Larry Peterson pounds out a martial tattoo underneath. It serves as a suitably atmospheric introduction before the band unleash a full-pelt thrash riff and the vocals final tear out of the speakers with a feral snarl. It’s the sort of song destined to ignite a mosh pit and it’s immediately clear that Iron Knights mean business. ‘Falling from grace’ has a more melodic edge with a powerful chorus, but it’s the furious ‘vicious circle’ that really sets the adrenalin flowing with its toughened thrash riffs and bile-fuelled vocals doing their level best to reduce your stereo to smoking rubble. An easy highlight of the album, if you’re looking for one song that represents the seething core of Iron knights, ‘vicious circle’ does exactly that and it sounds damned good, particularly the fluid guitar runs which are emblazoned across the song’s elaborate mid-section. ‘A chapter’s lesion’, with its deeply emotive lyrics, slows the pace and cuts closer to the alternative scene than heavy metal’s fire and fury, but there’s no question that it’s a song born from a place of deep emotion and the raw honesty on display raises the hair on the back of the neck.
Heading back into darker, heavier territory, ‘Genocide’ cruises into view on a steel plated riff, only to take a strange side-step into Alice in Chains’ vocal harmony-laden territory. It’s a brave move, but the vocals here sound less confident and the harmonies don’t quite come off with the requisite power, the more typically metal delivery of the chorus having far more punch and precision. ‘Cry for help’ is a strong, guitar rich blast that mixes high melodrama and metallic bluster with grand effect whilst the furious ‘blind’ sees the band laying a trail of napalm-enhanced guitars that blaze deep into the night as Jamie’s furious roar lays down a steely-eyed challenge to anyone brave enough to step up to him. Final track ‘Jacob’s ladder’ takes brutal riffs and pits them, once again, against vocal harmonies, although this time the downbeat nature and minor-key shifts work very much in the song’s favour and it proves to be a powerful closer to the album proper. The final three tracks, ‘bloodstorm’, ‘the messenger’ and ‘Jericho’ show the progression of the band, and whilst they are all fine tracks in their own right they lack the power and clarity of the material from the album proper. Of the three, the most impressive is the blistering Jericho which has a twisted thrash riff that makes the blood flow hot and fast.
Overall Iron Knights have served up a powerful album filled with heavy metal thunder and fine performances. Jamie’s production is impressively solid, imbuing the band with plenty of sonic firepower when needed whilst the songs are memorable. The band arguably sound their best when unleashing molten riffs with furious abandon, and the vocal harmonies would benefit from more work in the future, but their desire to expand their reach beyond traditional metal tropes and embrace other genres helps to keep the album fresh and interesting throughout and there is no question that metal fans will embrace Iron Knights to their denim-clad bosom. A furious, frenetic act, Iron Knights have laid down their challenge with a steel-clad gauntlet and you are strongly advised to pick it up.
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