Portugese purveyors of epic, Ironsword, return with their fifth album, Servants of Steel. The appropriately titled album checks all the boxes of what an epic metal album should be: a battle or fantasy themed cover, lyrics to match said cover, gigantic riffs, and unorthodox vocals. And yet something about it still falls short. Epic metal is not for everybody. Musically speaking, there was nothing about this album that turned me off in any way. At the same time, aside from a handful of songs and moments, nothing stood out either.
I should love this album. It doesn’t take more than half a minute into any Ironsword song to hear their biggest influence is Manilla Road. Besides playing in the epic realm, there are many characteristics shared between the two bands. Singer/guitarist Tann’s vocal delivery goes from a deep, raspy growl, to a clean, nasally tone which sounds nearly identical to Mark “The Shark” Shelton. Tracks such as “Upon the Throne”, “In the Coils of Set”, and “Isle of the Damned” sound similar to Manilla Road’s faster material on The Deluge (1986) and Mystification (1987). Others such as “Son of Crom” and “Black Colossus” include soft, atmospheric sections that harken back to such MR epics as “Cage of Mirrors” and “The Books of Skelos”.
Former MR vocalist, Bryan Patrick, even makes a guest appearance on a couple tracks. However, much like the War Dogs album I reviewed that Patrick also guests on, this valiant attempt at Shark worship falls short. Unlike Shark’s compositions which were memorable and stood on their own, the songs on Servants of Steel bleed into another with no distinct qualities. It’s not a bad album. It takes skilled musicianship to create an epic sounding album. The songwriting just doesn’t match the level of playing. Unless you’re an epic metal purist, Servants of Steel has nothing to offer.
5 out of 10
Label: Alma Mater Records
Genre: Epic Heavy Metal
For fans of: Manilla Road, Omen, DoomSword