• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Has it been three whole years since Battering Ram? Here we have the new Iron Savior, their sixth, and their second since they released the unbeatable Condition Red. Their last one was a pretty even mix of five-star songs and three-star filler cuts, so we were all hoping they'd crank out another disc of full-on metal killing and claim album of the year. Well, this ain't that album, but it ain't bad.

Rather than a mix of great and so-so songs, Megatropolis is a full CD of songs which are merely good. Nothing bad on here, but nothing as deliriously headbangable as "Tales Of The Bold" or "Tyranny Of Steel" either. At their best Iron Savior always had an energetic exuberance which overcame any shortcomings they might have had. And on old tracks like "Machine World" or "Warrior" they embodied pretty much everything great about Heavy Metal. Megatropolis is crunchy and fun, but it has no songs which really catch fire like that. This is a workmanlike, by-the-numbers effort by a band who can do much better. I am hoping this album does not signal the decline of the Savior, and that this is rather a low point between brilliant albums. Fans of Iron Savior will like this album fine, but it's no Condition Red, not by a mile.