Apoch's Metal Review - Iron Fire: Voyage of the Damned CD Review

Discography	Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed.
Full-Length(s):	Thunderstorm (2000) • On the Edge (2001) • Revenge (2006) • Blade of Triumph (2007) • To the Grave (2009) • Metalmorphosized (2010) Voyage of the Damned (2012)
Single(s):	A Token of My Hatred (2011)
Demo(s):	Demo (1998) • The Underworld (20030 • Demo 2003 (2003)

Review

Since the start of this century, Iron Fire has been belting out one new album after another. Since their 2000 debut Thunderstorm, the group has put out a total of six full-lengths, many of which followed the previous album in about a year, yeah and a half. At times, this spoiled their fans greatly with solid material, as well as angered them with less than stellar releases. With the band's approaching seventh full-length album, Voyage of the Damned, finding roughly a two-year window since their last effort, one can only wonder if the trend the band seems to have set forth lately will continue, or if this is going to be the album to return Iron Fire to the glorious Metal sound they once brought with them.

And with the start of "Enter Oblivion OJ-666," it becomes clear we'll be greeted with plenty of catchy material with a superb audio quality. While Voyage of the Damned may not be the most crisp and clear release you'll find, but it does carry a heavier, grounding sensation that works well for it, and is comparable to that of being in a car that simply won't switch into gear, feeling the force as you move forward. The guitars come through loudly and have a decent distortion on them that, when coupled with the bass presence, can really hammer away at the listener with blunt force, and during the less melodic moments really make the group quake. Everything else here does come through about the same level as the guitars, but that doesn't reflect much of an impact with the drum kit. While this is far from a bad performance, you can't help but feel the cymbals are a little muffled or drowned out to make much of an authoritative bite to the music, but the deep click of the bass kicks and rich snares do fill the music nicely. There are some keyboards to be found throughout the release as well, and they are a little lower in the mix, though work well to establish any atmospheres that need to be present. Of course, the vocals are a booming and energetic performance that rips through the music well, though sometimes it can feel a little too restrained and even nasal than the rest of the album's material, such as with "Enter Oblivion OJ-666."

But despite that restrained vibe, that is easily one of the best songs from this recording. Fed into from the introductory track "The Dark Beyond" and its atmospheric ambience and symphonic elements, "Enter Oblivion OJ-666" really slams to life with additional backing distorted vocals to sound mechanical, pushing the more Science Fiction element of the album nicely. The song's more traditional sound finds plenty of bridges that seem to have some melodic chugging that increases the intensity well by the time you reach the chorus where the blistering double bass kicks hammer away, the guitars pick up speed, the epic elements the keyboards create make the song sound very grand, and overall you cannot help but be moved by this fantastic song that finds a nice mixture with Power Metal and fantastic guitar solos.

But, unfortunately, that's about where these energetic and emotion-tugging songs come to a grinding halt, as the pace slows down greatly, though in no way affects how heavy the songs are, or the overall impact they will have on the listener. "Slaughter of Souls" stands as the perfect example of what the rest of the release can sound like, which is a good amount of slower riffs that hammer away at the listener, picking up at times with a nice haunting atmosphere behind it and an infectious rhythm throughout that becomes stronger during the chorus, where the compelling material to head band along to quickly shifts into more of a mandatory manner that you will have no control over. This song's inclusion of guttural vocals also comes as a big welcome to the listener, not in a manner to break any repetition as there is none, but it offers up a good unique element to the song to back up the heavier music being played, and also makes the transition into a brief breakdown section, something that also appears on "Enter Oblivion OJ-666" and many others, a little easier and fluid. These moments are far from bad, and really are executed well to give the songs more character and depth.

But the songs that really end up worth talking about here are the ballads. Of course "The Final Odyssey" stands on its own thanks to the that approach. Capturing a beautiful atmosphere and performance, the song's slower pace coupled with a nice, space-driven performance, some additional drumming executed to build up an epic element to the song, and an awe-inspiring vocal performance really leave you speechless by the end of the song thanks to the talent showcased here in a manner that even Manowar would be proud of. Then you also have the ten minute epic opus "Voyage of the Damned," which really finds plenty of epic, over-the-top moments full of symphonic elements, enthusiasm in the instruments, and a very powerful vocal performance. The song manages to change-up the sound constantly here, though mostly going through a slower pace to acknowledge the obvious anthemic vibe, and it works out well enough to keep the listener enthralled the entire time, as well as refrain from becoming repetitive in any sense. The guttural vocals also come back into play here around the five and a half-minute mark. Sadly this does become pretty brief, but again it keeps the listener on his or her toes.

Overall, Voyage of the Damned is a fantastic mixture of traditional Metal concepts and a Power Metal sound. It has been a while since Iron Fire issued an album as strong as this, but if wading through a few rough album was what it took for this group to put out a fine full-length like this, then it was worth it. With a large amount of awe-inspiring tracks, and plenty of solid songs that will get your head banging along throughout, it's hard to step back and not acknowledge the talent this group still has, and how well the more unique elements of the album are included. From the form of true Metal worship to Science Fiction inspired pieces, Voyage of the Damned lasts about an hour and six minutes, has something for everyone, and will easily pull you back for more. There isn't much else to be said about this album other than it's a quality release that any fan of the style, or this group's past recordings, needs to make note of right away.

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Digital review copy of this release provided by:
Napalm Records.

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