...SIŁA I PIĘKNO MUZYKI TKWIĄ W JEJ RÓŻNORODNOŚCI...



..::OPIS::..

Upon listening to this release, I was introduced to something that I have not been fortunate enough to witness in the flesh, Iron Savior playing live. I tend not to be a fan of live CDs, mostly because the effect of the live show is lost and what you essentially have are imperfect versions of the studio songs. Like with Freedom Call, this album is an exception and delivers something stellar, even without the added visuals.

Piet's vocal performance on all 5 of the live tracks is excellent, as is Kai's on his compositional offering Watcher in the Sky. The guitar sound doesn't drown out the drums and bass, and the solos are all perfectly present above the thundering rhythm section. The live rendition of "For the World" is actually even better than the studio version, containing a bit more intensity in the vocals on Piet's part. "Rinding on Fire" maintains most of it's power, although I did miss the acoustic guitar sound that was present during the interlude of the album version. "Brave New World" is on par with it's studio version, although the vocal interchange between Piet and Kai during the bridge is a nice touch. "Iron Savior" functions perfectly as the opening track of the live half of the album, as it embodies the spirit of the band and is a nice middle ground between their up-tempo cookers and their occasional slow heavy tracks.

In addition to the live offerings, we are also treats to 4 new original tracks by the band. These songs function as a bridge in the story concept of the second album (Unification) and the third (Dark Assault). The story itself is loaded with intrigue, introducing a race of aliens that pray upon others and who have far advanced technology (similar to Independence Day), and the songs play off the situations in this story quite well. "Contortions of Time" is a dark, yet catchy track that introduces us to this savage alien race the same way Judas Priest would during the Painkiller era, with blazing speed. "Touching the Rainbow" is a more anthem-like track, giving a sense of hope within what appears to be a hopeless situation, highlighted with a powerful chorus and some crazy solos traded off between Piet and Kai. "Stone Cold" is a gloomy slower track, topped off with a rather somber bluesy intro, telling the story of a doomed ship and a captain contemplating his own death. "Hatchet of War" is another anthem, but with a more epic set of tempo changes, where the human race and their allies declare their resistence to the threat.

Track 10 is a cover of Judas Priest's Desert Plains, and is pretty much par for the course in terms of their regular hommages to the band that most influenced them. I saw a special on VH1 not long ago where Judas Priest was being paid tribute by Godsmack, and compared to the covers that Savior has put forth, they were as medicore as they come. But unfortunately America isn't offering many great metal bands these days.

In conclusion, this album is the best of both worlds, a great collection of live performances mixed together with a rather intense mini-story concept album that contains the missing link between Iron Savior's 2 greatest studio albums. This is one that all Iron Savior, Speed Metal, Power Metal, and NWOBHM faithful should not be without.

hells unicorn



..::TRACK-LIST::..

1. Iron Savior (Live At Wacken)
2. Brave New World (Live At Wacken)
3. Watcher In The Sky (Live At Wacken)
4. Riding On Fire (Live At Wacken)
5. For The World (Live At Wacken)
6. Contortions Of Time
7. Touching The Rainbow
8. Stonecold
9. The Hatchet Of War
10. Desert Plains

Japanese 'Coming Home' EP bonus tracks:
11. Forces Of Rage (Single Version)
12. Atlantis Falling (Live Version '98)
13. Iron Savior (1st Version)

Tracks 1 to 5 recorded live at the Wacken Open Air Festival, Germany in August 1998
Track 10 is a cover song taken from the Point Of Entry album by Judas Priest.



..::OBSADA::..

Vocals, Bass Guitar - Jan Eckert
Vocals, Guitar - Kai Hansen
Lead Vocals, Guitar - Piet Sielck
Drums, Percussion - Thomas Nack
Keyboards, Backing Vocals - Andreas Kück




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE6gsIRHHFs



SEED 14:30-23:00.
POLECAM!!!