IRON SAVIOR 'Deathbringer'

IRON SAVIOR
Deathbringer
2026 Frontiers Music

Hot on the heels of the covers album ‘Awesome Anthems of the Galaxy’, (released in March) Germany’s IRON SAVIOR is set to release their 18th studio album (and first for Frontiers), titled ‘Deathbringer’, on November 13th. The band will also be celebrating their 30th anniversary, (which is alluded to by the ‘XXX’ on the album’s cover). The band lineup is: Piet Sielck (vocals/guitars/songwriting/production), Joachim Küstner (guitar), Patrick Klose (drums) and Patrick Opitz (bass).

As a kid who grew up in the ‘80s, I was a fan of the covers album idea, and I ultimately enjoyed the album a lot. But I can understand if some fans weren’t into it. After the band’s dalliance with covers, fear not, they are back to writing scorching science fiction-based power metal hymns of blazing across the universe, battle and other topics. If you’ve been paying attention for the past 30 years, you know there is an ongoing story intertwined in IRON SAVIOR’s discography. Well, they have now returned to the concept album format (somewhat). This story involves the ‘Iron Savior’ and the alliance facing a powerful new enemy in the “Queen” aboard the massive ‘Deathbringer’ vessel. But not every song is part of the concept.

After a brief intro track called “Shadows of Neverness”, the first proper song is the title track “Deathbringer”. This song has a killer main riff, soaring vocals and is classic IRON SAVIOR from the get-go. “Light In The Dark” is another winner, and an inspiring speed metal anthem that features some blistering solos and a wall-of-sound vocals. The first single released from the album was “The Creature’s Tale”, (video HERE) a song that is based on Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’, and written from the point of view of Frankenstein’s monster. The next single was “Climbing Higher”, the most commercial song here, yet still catchy as hell, and destined to be an audience sing-along classic. “To Boldly Go” is inspired by the exploratory spirit of Star Trek, and quite topical since we just lost the great Patrick Stewart and Walter Koenig (R.I.P.). The outro of this song is killer. The centerpiece of the album (and longest song at nearly six and half minutes), is “Dawn of Deliverance”. This track is a galloping masterpiece with a decisive structure, referencing the album’s sweeping concept of battling the Queen (more than any other track). Other noteworthy songs here are “Gunslinger” (more of a mid-tempo song) and “Never To Yield” which gets back into the album’s concept. “Forever and a Day” is a fun, pummeling power metal anthem that closes the album. There are two very good bonus tracks included here: “No Deal” and a cover of JUDAS PRIEST’s “Fever”. The band has paid tribute to JUDAS PRIEST (their biggest influence) numerous times before, and this is a nice deep cut from the ‘Screaming For Vengeance’ album. The total time of the album is just over an hour.

Bottom line: I’ve followed IRON SAVIOR since the first album, and they are arguably the most consistent band in heavy metal. They are a force to be reckoned with, and the hardest working band around. Their genuine enthusiasm at playing classic heavy metal is commendable. They have no bad albums, and ‘Deathbringer’ is another great entry in the band’s catalog, which will please current fans and gain the band new ones as well. 

You can pre-order ‘Deathbringer’ at this link:
https://ffm.bio/ironsavior-deathbringer

4.7 Out Of 5.0