Album review: IRON ALLIES – Blood In Blood Out

AFM Records [release date: 21.10.02]

Iron Allies is a band with an impressive Metal heritage. It’s Herman (Accept/ Victory/ Moondoc) Frank’s new band, and if ever an artist invokes the genre it is he. He’s brought in another well known name, David (Accept/ Bonfire/ Bangalore Choir) Reece to handle the vocals.

Together they take on a number of heavy metal tropes, as you might expect, but never lean on them too hard, favouring melody over muscle, despite Frank’s macho language in the PR stuff.

The duo’s songs quake with pneumatically powered riffs, Frank’s axework bites and stings, but the songs are always nailed solidly to the framework of an outstandingly sturdy melody. ‘Destroyers of The Night’ and ‘Blood On The Land’ are prime examples. Two artists fighting their heavy metal weight, but picking their punches swiftly and sweetly.

The real knockout blows come later with Reece’s scorched voice breathing fire on ‘Evil The Gun’, an allegory for our times, and the undiluted angst of ‘Martyrs Burn’.
An underrated lyricist, Reece’s narratives work their way under your skin. ‘Selling Out ‘ and ‘Truth Never Mattered’ are powerful and persuasive, going toe to toe with Frank’s incendiary axework and the rhythm section’s dynamic percussive thump.

It’s a delight to hear two seasoned musicians balancing an unflinching toughness with genuine sentiments. ****

Brian McGowan

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)