"I ride a comet My trail is long to stay
Silence is a heavy stone. I fight the world and take all they can give There are
times my heart hangs low... These lines could have very well been written for
IRON FIREthe Danish Power Metal band. Of course, any true metalhead will
recognize the lyrics belong to the cult Heavy Metal ballad Heart of Steel by the
one and only Manowar. While the introduction may seem a bit over the top,
Manowars anthem is not too far removed from IRON FIREs experience. Band
mastermind Martin Steene lived through quite a few ups and downs during his
9-year musical career. A rosy beginning greeted the young formation as IRON FIRE
partnered with cult producer Tommy Hansen (Helloween, Pretty Maids, Illdisposed)
to churn out the bands debut Thunderstorm. The critics raved and the word out on
the street was all about IRON FIREs promising career. But the higher one soars,
the harder one falls, or at least in this case... One year later, in 2001, the
same magazines that praised IRON FIRE turned their backs on the Power Metal
ensembles follow-up On the Edge. Even the bands own label seemed disinterested,
but things would become worse, before they became better. Following an amazing
concert in Hamburg, Germany, the planned release party fell through and the label
announced that they would not be releasing IRON FIREs third offering. As for the
icing on the cake: The bands vehicle was towed that evening. Struck down
repeatedly by ill fate, it was only a matter of time before the line-up began to
crumble. In the end, the last man standing was none other than a very
disappointed Martin Steene, who had no choice but to accept defeat, but began
gathering strength to execute his vengeful and conquering comeback. With Revenge
(a fitting title in view of the bands past experiences), Steene projects IRON
FIREs history into the fantastic world of the warrior Cain, who once
double-crossed by his closests friends and allies and now revived by magical
forces, takes revenge upon his betrayers. Revenge is an epic tale .. la Conan the
Barbarian, told by a band, who obviously knows how to fight back. To once again
quote the elitist of all Metal bands, IRON FIRE returns from the underground to
stand and fight. With the help of their grandious third album, Revenge, and a new
label, NAPALM RECORDS, Steene and Co. prepare to take revenge on all those who
doubted the strength of their Power Metal Crusade. |
