Year : 2013 (Japan Edition)
Style : Power Metal
Country : Belgium
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 166 mb
Bio:
From the beginning on passion always was the driving force for Belgian guitar master Dushan Petrossi. In the slipstream of his symphonic metal band Magic Kingdom, Petrossi followed his neo-classical influences with IRON MASK for 10 years now. All the dedication he put into the band finally resulted in IRON MASK becoming the more successful of the two. Especially in Japan they are is hailed as one of the best neo-classical power metal band for years now, but also the following in Europe is steadily increasing.This development surely will continue with the new (fourth) album "Black As Death“. Even more: the perspective for IRON MASK is very promising and it's likely that the band will advance to the next level of popularity. As their new vocalist ex-Yngwie Malmsteen frontman Mark Boals was chosen by Petrossi. "After having the material recorded I realised that Mark Boals would be the best singer for most of the new songs, range-wise this is my most technically difficult album to sing, so Mark ended up on 10 songs, Goran Edman on one and Valhalla jr. on one (+ the vinyl bonus track), as he is recovering from a neck surgery and couldn’t do more”, Petrossi explains.IRON MASK stand out from many other artists of the neo-classical metal genre because they manage to combine high musical ambitions with a certain kind of accessibility and lots of variety. Therefore you find high-speed tracks ("Feel The Fire", "Blizzard Of Doom", "Nosferatu") epic songs like "Genghis Khan", the impressive title track "Black As Death" and the incredible "God Punishes, I Kill" beside catchy hard rock tracks ("Broken Hero", "Rebel Kid", "The Absence") – a varied mixture, forged by Petrossi's songwriting skills. With "Magic Sky Requiem" (sung by Goran Edman) "Black As Death" also offers a beautiful ballad. On the European bonus track "Evil Strikes In Silence“ we get to hear Götz "Valhalla jr." Mohre on vocals, as well as on "March Of The Slaves" which will be available on the vinyl edition (2-vinyl) of "Black As Death" only.The album's mix and mastering was handled by the experienced Dennis Ward (Krokus, Pink Cream 69, Silent Force, Angra) who made the song material (which was produced by Dushan Petrossi himself) shine in the best of ways.With "Black as Death" Dushan Petrossi and his band manage the feat of musical claim to be merged with accessibility, so fans of Firewind, Dio, Iron Maiden, Yngwie Malmsteen and Rainbow will all have their joy in this extraordinary album.IRON MASK´s debut album "Revenge Is My Name" (Lion Music) was released in 2002. Three years later the band made the biggest leap forward and impressed with "Hordes Of The Brave" (Lion Music), a strong and versatile neo-classical power metal opus. Here also the collaboration with Oliver Hartmann (Avantasia, ex-At Vance) began, who from then on sang full songs or choir provided support on any IRON MASK record. Nevertheless, it should take almost five years before IRON MASK released their third album "Shadow Of The Red Baron" (Lion Music). A death in the family threw back the creative bandleader. But the reactions on "Shadow Of The Red Baron" were again excellent, and so it is hardly surprising that not even two years later a more than adequate successor is at the start now with “Black As Death”.
Album:
Fifth Son of Winterdoom is the fifth studio album by Belgian power metal band Iron Mask, that was released on November 8, 2013 by AFM Records. All songs were composed by Dushan Petrossi.LA Weekly named its cover as the second most ridiculous metal album cover of 2013.So my Editor-In-Chief here at Metal Temple sent me an album for review. That’s nothing new; he does that all the time. The thing I found odd is that he sent me an album from IRON MASK, specifically their latest, “Fifth Son of Winterdoom”, available November 19 via AFM Records. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t they a Power Metal band? Indeed they are, and this is not usually my thing at all. But, I am nothing, if not open-minded, so I gave it a few listens. And while it isn’t bad, it’s not great, either. I think if I was 15 and this was 1988 I’d be all over this, wearing out the tape in my Walkman (for those of you who even remember what those were!), listening over and over, with this band’s patch emblazoned on my denim jacket. But alas, it is 2013, and much of this album sounds very, very dated.Now this is not a knock against the musical abilities of the respective members of IRON MASK, not at all. The band’s got chops, there’s no denying that. But much of this album sounds like the same thing over and over again, and there was really nothing to get excited about or sink my teeth into. I mean, songs like “Angel Eyes Demon Soul” and opener “Back Into Mystery” have some catchy hooks to them, but at the same time they don’t make me rush to hear them again. And “Father Farewell” is just terrible, no matter who it’s dedicated to.Now, with all that said, there were some diamonds in this rough. “Eagle of Fire” and “Like a Lion In a Cage” are pure Neo-Classical / Power Metal bliss, all driving riffs and 70mph noodling solos. And “Run to Me” is another standout, along with “Seven Samurai”. “One Commandment” is one of the ballsier tunes as well, with a chunky riff throughout. The closer “The Picture of Dorian Grey” is probably my favorite, a fast-paced seven minute ride that manages to be heavy and melodic, without being too catchy, unlike much of this album.Which brings me to the title track: starting with the crunch of footsteps in snow accompanied by a crying infant, we are treated to ten minutes of a song that quite frankly goes nowhere except in circles. It is a rather bloated affair that is not good. Not at all. That was probably the longest ten minutes of my life. But wait, there’s more! “Reconquista 1492” lumbers along at a snail’s pace and can only be described as slow torture featuring recycled IRON MAIDEN riffs. And oy, “Rock Religion”…with that title, do I need to say anymore??Overall, I think “Fifth Son of Winterdoom” suffers from a combination of self-indulgence and being overly-catchy in too many places. It’s a shame, because these guys are clearly very talented. I think if they’d trimmed about four songs off the record they could have had a real winner.
Line Up:
Mark Boals - Vocals (2010-present) - See also: Holy Force, Joshua Perahia, Lyraka, Mark Boals, Ring of Fire, Seven the Hardway, The Codex, ex-Maestro Alex Gregory, ex-Royal Hunt, ex-Yngwie J. Malmsteen, ex-Savoy Brown, ex-Ted Nugent, ex-Uli Jon Roth
Vasiliy Molchanov - Bass (2002-present) - See also: Magic Kingdom, ex-Cryme, ex-Shah
Dushan Petrossi - Guitars (2002-present) - See also: Magic Kingdom
Andreas Lindhal - Keyboards
Ramy Ali - Drums (2010-present) - See also: Freedom Call, Kiske / Somerville, Roger Staffelbach's Angel of Eden, Evidence One, ex-Getaway, ex-Justice, ex-Frontline
Tracklist:
01. Back Into Mystery
02. Like A Lion In A Cage
03. Only One Commandment
04. Seven Samurai
05. Fifth Son of Winterdoom
06. Angel Eyes, Demon Soul
07. Rock Religion
08. Father Farewell
09. Eagle Of Fire
10. Reconquista 1492
11. Run To Me
12. The Picture Of Dorian Grey
13. We Were Soldiers (Instrumental) (Bonus Track)
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
