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August 29, 2008 |
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MADE OF IRON - Made Of Iron
Sonic Age (2004) |
7.5/10 |
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01. Fight For The Cross...Die For Jerusalem
02. The Storm Just Began
03. Made Of Iron
04. The Alchemist
05. Never Deny Your Fate
06. Peace In Flames
07. Time To Repent
08. Gates To Purgatory
09. King Of All Kings
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Sonic Age Records out of Greece is a relatively new label, but have been signing some real metal heavyweights to watch for in the very near future, including OVERLORDE, VALKIJA, and most recently Canada's power metal outfit PENETRATOR, and the USA's progressive metal band NICODEMUS.
Management from Cult Metal Classic Records took notice of the great reviews that the demos from MADE OF IRON (a then unsigned band) were getting, contacted the band, and then signed them to Sonic Age Records. Let me get right to the point because I know what you're thinking...and yes, you're right...this band does indeed sound like IRON MAIDEN.
MADE OF IRON played for two years as a MAIDEN cover band. They kept their 'MADE OF IRON' moniker after they opted to compose their own material, indicating their respect of the almighty IRON MAIDEN. Many of their song structures have a very MAIDEN-ish feel to them. However, they don't have anybody remotely resembling Eddie as a mascot and they've since changed the font of their band logo as on their 2002 and 2003 demos ("Made Of Iron" and "King Of All Kings" respectively) where they had used the distinctive IRON MAIDEN lettering.
MADE OF IRON play traditional heavy metal, with an understandable IRON MAIDEN influence. The sound is rooted back in the mid-late eighties, and I found that it still works today and will appeal to today's youth as much as to old-school metalheads (like myself) who were raised on the eighties sound. It's simply well-executed, straight-ahead heavy metal!
The four-piece (Jim Over [Vocals], Nicko Nikolaidis [Guitars], Andreas Classen [Bass], and Holger Zimmermann [Drums]) are a tightly-knit team, and most definitely have perfected the "IRON MAIDEN sound" - not a simple task by any means. Jim doesn't have Bruce Dickinson's voice, thankfully. His voice is much flatter, without a huge vocal range, and I honestly have to say, I initially found it rather dull. However, I believe this is because I was actually expecting a Bruce-like voice to start singing after hearing the music. Additional spins had me much more appreciative of Jim's vocal characteristics, and I actually now feel it complements the band's sound nicely.
Nicko is an excellent guitarist and showcases some fantastic solos throughout the CD. Notable solos to check out include those in 'The Alchemist', 'Time To Repent', and most definitely 'King Of All Kings'. The rhythm section is tight with a very strong bass performance (ala Steve Harris) and equally powerful drumming to tie it all together.
Highlights include the fist-pumping, sing-along anthem 'Made Of Iron', the pulsing 'Peace In Flames', and the 9-minute epic 'King Of All Kings', although I don't think there's a particularly weak song on the album; they're all very catchy.
Since even IRON MAIDEN aren't really doing the IRON MAIDEN "thing" these days, perhaps MADE OF IRON can pick up where MAIDEN left things hanging. I hope they opt to do this on a part-time basis (maybe only a few real MAIDEN-ish songs on their next album) and continue to build on their own sound, as is hinted at on tracks like the hymn 'Made Of Iron', 'Peace In Flames', and CD opener 'Fight For The Cross...Die For Jerusalem'. For a band that's really still in its infancy, I hold high hopes for MADE OF IRON and will continue to enjoy this release while I await their next.
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