IRON CURTAIN - Savage Dawn (12" Gatefold LP on Black Vinyl)
Spain | Speed/Thrash/Heavy
Detailed Description
For nearly 20 years now, Spanish metal inquisition IRON CURTAIN have been stalwart defenders of the faith. With a discography that includes four full-lengths and twice as many EPs, splits, and demos, IRON CURTAIN's ever-sturdy sound was forged in the fires of the early '80s: largely nodding to the eternal Mot-rhead as well as Tank, but also Canadian gods like Exciter and Razor, to the Teutonic might of early Iron Angel and Grave Digger, to Scandinavian gods OZ and Heavy Load, to cult American icons Abattoir and Savage Grace, and the shores of Britannia with the likes of Diamond Head, Raven, and Girlschool. And with the DYING VICTIMS release of career highpoint Danger Zone in 2019, that sound's become even more rocking than ever. After a quick-hitting mini-album (again through DYING VICTIMS) titled Metal Gladiator whereby the band presented the new alongside re-recordings of the old, IRON CURTAIN return to assume their throne with Savage Dawn. Doubtlessly (and vividly!) displayed by its photographic cover art courtesy of Daniel Rabandan, Savage Dawn is indeed a new dawn for IRON CURTAIN: a concerted return to their rough-hewn roots, only spit-shined with the gleaming chrome that's come to define them in recent years. Thus does Savage Dawn exhibit a unique dichotomy: their ancient metal's more juiced-up than ever, but the craggy edges come through in the content while the form is powerfully professional - "slick" only in the very best sense, with mixing by the esteemed Javi Felez (Teitanblood, Destroyer 666, Graveyard) and mastering by the equally esteemed Jaime Gomez Arellano (Ghost, Satan, Mayhem) providing that punch. As such, across these ten new tracks (anthemically presaged by "Rattlesnake" on Metal Gladiator, as vintage four-piece Mot-rheaded as it comes) do we hear IRON CURTAIN throw the likes of classic Riot, Jaguar, and Running Wild into their by-now-characteristic blender, with leads and melodies more soaring than ever.Cool songs, catchy choruses, straightforward riffs, and pure HEAVY METAL with all killers and no fillers - what more do you need?! IRON CURTAIN drop the biggest sledgehammer with Savage Dawn!
