Iron Fire - On the Edge

Innovation is not a word that is often associated with power metal. The genre has been stagnant for awhile, still following in the same structures that Running Wild and Manowar laid down in the 80s. It took a powerhouse like Rhapsody to lift it up into a more sophisticated style, but even then most of the new bands are still hammering out the same kind of tunes that were done twenty years ago, and done better in most cases. Iron Fire began their career sounding a great deal like one of the originators, Running Wild, and one of the me-too outfits, Hammerfall. "Thunderstorm" was a respectable release, showing alot of promise but little to no originality (leaving out "Angel of Light" which was a gorgeous ballad). The band recieved heaps of critical acclaim for being similiar to these bands, because face it, those that are seriously into power metal detest anything that deviates from the norm of what they are used to. That's why lackluster creations like Secret Sphere and Drakkar, while not mentioned in the same breath as the greats, still enjoy limited success and have quite a fanbase.

Which is where Iron Fire is going to run into a big problem with their established (and stick in the mud) fans... "On the Edge" is actually (now are you ready for this?)... *original*. By the way some have reacted, you would think that was a dirty word, but those (like myself) who are sick of ultra annoying (and out of place) lightspeed drums, usually completing the package by being hollow sounding, and the same song structures will be absolutely delighted with this release. Not to say that the speed has been completely abolished, for better or worse, there's a few songs that use it here, but it's kept in check (and used in moderation). Tommy Hansen handles the production and gives the disc a slick, sharp sound that fits well with the music. Most of the musicians have returned from the debut outing, with the exception of guitarist Kristian Iversen and drummer Gunnar Olsen, but their replacements, Martin Slott on the axe and Morten Plenge on the skins, both have flashy styles that come across nicely in this form of metal. Jakob Lykkebo's bass is competant, and often well done, while Kristian Martinsen's guitar is often just stunning. He has definitely improved from the last disc. Frontman Martin Steene still sounds like a jumble of almost every power metal singer you can think of, bits and pieces of a whole stable of vocalists crop up in some of his vocal lines, but there's a thick layer of Danish accent that prevents him from being run-of-the-mill in sound. His delivery might not appeal to everyone, the high pitched stuff breaks a little with hiccups and his lower register is akin to the voice of a demon. Switching back and forth however, provides the listener with two very distinct sounds that seem like two different people entirely. That is an accomplishment itself, and more than welcome on the disc, as it also offers us the contrast of light and shade.

01.] "Eternal Damnation" - Some cliches never die, and thus the intro track lives on in the form of this atmospheric little ditty that lacks the over-the-top medieval feel of Rhapsody's album intros, and rather sounds more like music from a Final Fantasy video game.

02.] "The End of It All" - The first 'full length' track out of the gate is a blistering little piece of tunage, that ripples with power and might and shows lead singer, Martin Steene pulling out a few new vocal tricks. It starts out deliberately paced with ominious drumming but then kicks up into high gear, roaring through the remains of the song and then skidding to a halt with the sound of the beginning cropping back up again.

03.] "Prince of Agony" - Ah what a FUN song!!! And who would think a track that has the word "Agony" in the title could ever be 'fun'? Truly evil spoken voice samples of what sounds like the Prince of Darkness himself are peppered throughout the song, but the real treat is the mindbogglingly hook filled chorus and the background chorus that adds in their two cents now and then. There's also this sci-fi sounding synth stuff that rips through the song now and then. The guitar is sharp as a tack and as addictive as any Running Wild riff could hope to be. A quirky tune that gets a heap of points for pure originality...something we aren't hearing much of in power metal anymore.

04.] "On the Edge" - Tough and thundering, with some vocal flourishes by Steene that sound positively death metal-ish. These are few and far between (on the words "with one foot in the grave" - something to get all dark sounding about for sure eh!) but come from out of nowhere, and can be quite surprisingly. The chorus reminds me of what would happen if you stripped the orchestrations out of a Rhapsody chorus, very uplifting and bombastic.

05.] "Into the Abyss" - Free flying spicy electric dances ontop of some sinister riffing lying underneath, the vocals then break out sounding a little pinched but reminiscent of...Vince Neil. This is a social commentary about the state of the world today, it's apparently not all fluffy and populated with happy bunnies, smiling suns and polka dancing flowers, but rather a startling place, much like this song. Like a thrilling rollercoaster ride, it takes many dives and twists, the listener never knows where he will end up next, which is one of its strengths.

06.] "Thunderspirit" - The spirit of thunder, unleashed! This one seems created just for those that must have their 'true' power fix, yet even this more classic styled Running Wild/Hammerfall-ish song does not escape Iron Fire's innovations. There are some unique and very cool background sounds going on much like on "Prince of Agony", but the true strike of genius is the guitar solo. Muffled sounds of a crowd cheering, and then ontop of that (still in the background) what appears to be a shell being loaded, shot into the sky and then exploding in the dark in a firey burst of coloured beauty... fireworks! This is all going on while some terrific axework carrying a spirited melody is blazing in the front of the mix. The result of this is simply splendid and makes me wonder why no one has thought of doing this before?

07.] "Wanted Man" - Switching between the higher pitched and lower registers (which suit Martin nicely!), the band spins this one out just gorgeously. What a total surprise! You never know where this band is going to go next. This plays out like more of a hard rock tune, but with a rhythm section that just crushes and Deep Purple-ish hammond organ sounding spritzes. This is what would happen if Ratt, Lefay, the already mentioned Deep Purple, and Running Wild ever mixed their styles together. Very different, and very good.

08.] "Lost N' Alone" - If you enjoyed "Angel of Light" (a fantastic ballad) from their debut, then this is sure to please. The guitar solo is gentle and touching, weaving a delicate pattern of lace and soul. What sets this apart from the sea of ballads, is that this one has the feel of being a classic, not just labeled as "AOR" or "power ballad", but "classic". Not much is happening here in terms of the band trying to be different, but they manage to take many elements that make ballads endearing, and fill up the empty spaces with soul. Not quite as good as their "Angel of Light" but damn close.

09.] "Forever Evil" - And forever fast paced too I suppose. There's no stopping this short and pounding track which if listened to TOO frequently can turn your brain to jello. It sounds like the drums are attempting to race to the end of the song and get there before everything else even has a chance of catching up. The main recurring riff has that Scottish feel that also populates Running Wild's stuff. The change between the high pitched ringing of "forever evil!" in the chorus and the dark and sinister answer is what seperates this one from every other song recorded in the genre.

10.] "Here and Alive" - The crowd noise is back, what is this a football game or something? This kicks off with a nice mid paced feel, with urgent churning guitar but surges forward into a galloping Helloween-ish chorus. The solos are again, just wonderfully done, both fit the song like a glove, and add some emotion to the otherwise typical sounding track.

11.] "Miracle" - Iron Fire stuck the needle in this one and injected it full of bluesy soulfulness. Mid paced and actually rather relaxing, its main drawback is that there are some very laughable vocal lines in here, just check out Steene 'singing' along to the guitar...I'm not sure what that's all about, but after a few listens, it does work, although the less adventurous will most likely cringe in horror. The axeslinging here is the real star of the show though, acoustic backing, and a fat, round electric sound where the notes seem just squeezed right out.

12.] "The Price of Blood" - Distorted vocals, ugh... just when you think it's going to stay like that throughout the whole song, it is suddenly uncovered and dragged out of the tin can and coupled with a thick rhythm section that is much heavier than one would expect from power metal, but reminds me of Blaze's solo disc in terms of overall feel. Shred alert as the solo is short but fleet fingered.