Iron Mask
Fifth Son of Winterdoom
AFM Records
2013
You don’t change a winning team and having previously secured the services of none other than ex-Yngwie Malmsteen and Ring of Fire, singer Mark Boals, Iron Mask, just proceeds to release another album filled with neoclassical inspired power metal, much to the bliss of the fans of the genre, the apathy of the fans of slip-and-what-not and the dismay of those who cannot take music when it has more than three chords!
While it seems that Boals is somewhat better integrated with the band, the material in this album varies a bit more than its predecessor and there are some moments, that might veer into self-indulgence but, overall, the positives out-weight the negatives...
“Back into Mystery” is a very melodic and keyboard laced opener that introduces the album to the listener with soft and pleasant melodies, which are simple yet uplifting…
“Like A Lion in a Cage” is pure neoclassicism distilled, complete with awesome arpeggios, passionate solos and an amazing performance by Boals…
“Only One Commandment” begins with a rather heavy almost marching rhythm and a heavy monolithic riff, but its chorus manages to save it from becoming a plodding mess. The playful lead too, also recycles the verse so the chorus can be repeated, smartly over and over... not bad.
“Seven Samurai” is slightly more prog flavored. Almost all metal songs with “Japanese-medieval-warfare” themes, tend to be rather epic and this is no exception, but it’s not as “in your face” as some other ones, opting for a more mid-tempo and covered approach that however seems to go to hell, towards the final minutes of the song, giving way for a more chaotic crescendo.
The title song “Fifth Son of Winterdoom” is a ten minute epic with slight Celtic overtones, that has some pretty impressive musical themes and performances by all the members of the band and a fetching chorus, but clocking at about ten minutes, it was probably stretched to that duration, by including some slower portions and soloing, and pace changes, that really seem pointless and un-necessary. A more compact version of it, would have been much, much better.
“Angel Eyes, Demon Soul” is a melodic piece, that isn’t too bad, but is a little poppy and somehow, doesn’t seem to be exactly the best idea that one could come up with, sounding more like a Japanese anime soundtrack than a melodic ballad if anything. At least Boals, registers another quite decent performance, saving grace.
“Rock Religion” is you guessed… a song about rock being like a religion. It isn’t absolutely horrid and there’s even a nice short lead and the chorus ain’t too bad either, but I’m just sick and tired of “these” type of songs... unless you’ve written “I Wanna Rock” or something THAT catchy, don’t really bother us with religious stuff… lol!
“Father Farewell” is an obvious ballad, dedicated to someone’s from inside of the ranks of the group, late “father” and it’s as expected rather sentimentally charged, as it is gracious and beautiful. I am only guessing that I’d have the guitars mixed overall a bit lower/softer sounding…
“Eagle of Fire” is a number that would have you expecting something really epic, by the title alone and you’d not be mistaken as it is a very feisty song with passionate vocals and hymnal melodies.
“Reconquista 1492” is slow and brooding an epic that recalls slightly of those long epics that Iron Maiden had on “Dance of Death”... it’s nicely done, but again, maybe a minute could have been trimmed away without anyone missing it too dearly… ! But it’s nice!
“Run to Me” is a nice melodic rocker that balances nicely between the rock elements and the classical aspirations, without tipping either way too much… it has a nice mysterious vibe weaved throughout its verses and a very endearing chorus, so it's another little standout track...
Finally “The Picture of Dorian Grey” inspired by the classic Oscar Wilde story, is a nice adaptation that manages in its almost 8 minutes to create a sickly and perverse atmosphere, dress it with riffs that take you back to Victorian England and the hedonistic and deviant almost Faustian story of Dorian Gray and his bizarre bargain, that sees him not aging… but disparages his soul, through his own image on a painting... of his. It has a beautiful and really climaxing chorus that repeats slightly altered through the story’s progression and it’s the only epic in the album where the band manages to get it – just right!
All in all, the album is pretty good, but it’s not the most original thing ever. However with Yngwie, having long stopped producing “serious” albums… (his efforts with Ripper were bad at the very least) this is a very nice substitute for those who seem to enjoy albums like “Trilogy”, “Odyssey”, “Alchemy” and the likes…
All you neoclassic freaks out there... freak out... the rest, you can probably take a bit of a back seat…
While it seems that Boals is somewhat better integrated with the band, the material in this album varies a bit more than its predecessor and there are some moments, that might veer into self-indulgence but, overall, the positives out-weight the negatives...
“Back into Mystery” is a very melodic and keyboard laced opener that introduces the album to the listener with soft and pleasant melodies, which are simple yet uplifting…
“Like A Lion in a Cage” is pure neoclassicism distilled, complete with awesome arpeggios, passionate solos and an amazing performance by Boals…
“Only One Commandment” begins with a rather heavy almost marching rhythm and a heavy monolithic riff, but its chorus manages to save it from becoming a plodding mess. The playful lead too, also recycles the verse so the chorus can be repeated, smartly over and over... not bad.
“Seven Samurai” is slightly more prog flavored. Almost all metal songs with “Japanese-medieval-warfare” themes, tend to be rather epic and this is no exception, but it’s not as “in your face” as some other ones, opting for a more mid-tempo and covered approach that however seems to go to hell, towards the final minutes of the song, giving way for a more chaotic crescendo.
The title song “Fifth Son of Winterdoom” is a ten minute epic with slight Celtic overtones, that has some pretty impressive musical themes and performances by all the members of the band and a fetching chorus, but clocking at about ten minutes, it was probably stretched to that duration, by including some slower portions and soloing, and pace changes, that really seem pointless and un-necessary. A more compact version of it, would have been much, much better.
“Angel Eyes, Demon Soul” is a melodic piece, that isn’t too bad, but is a little poppy and somehow, doesn’t seem to be exactly the best idea that one could come up with, sounding more like a Japanese anime soundtrack than a melodic ballad if anything. At least Boals, registers another quite decent performance, saving grace.
“Rock Religion” is you guessed… a song about rock being like a religion. It isn’t absolutely horrid and there’s even a nice short lead and the chorus ain’t too bad either, but I’m just sick and tired of “these” type of songs... unless you’ve written “I Wanna Rock” or something THAT catchy, don’t really bother us with religious stuff… lol!
“Father Farewell” is an obvious ballad, dedicated to someone’s from inside of the ranks of the group, late “father” and it’s as expected rather sentimentally charged, as it is gracious and beautiful. I am only guessing that I’d have the guitars mixed overall a bit lower/softer sounding…
“Eagle of Fire” is a number that would have you expecting something really epic, by the title alone and you’d not be mistaken as it is a very feisty song with passionate vocals and hymnal melodies.
“Reconquista 1492” is slow and brooding an epic that recalls slightly of those long epics that Iron Maiden had on “Dance of Death”... it’s nicely done, but again, maybe a minute could have been trimmed away without anyone missing it too dearly… ! But it’s nice!
“Run to Me” is a nice melodic rocker that balances nicely between the rock elements and the classical aspirations, without tipping either way too much… it has a nice mysterious vibe weaved throughout its verses and a very endearing chorus, so it's another little standout track...
Finally “The Picture of Dorian Grey” inspired by the classic Oscar Wilde story, is a nice adaptation that manages in its almost 8 minutes to create a sickly and perverse atmosphere, dress it with riffs that take you back to Victorian England and the hedonistic and deviant almost Faustian story of Dorian Gray and his bizarre bargain, that sees him not aging… but disparages his soul, through his own image on a painting... of his. It has a beautiful and really climaxing chorus that repeats slightly altered through the story’s progression and it’s the only epic in the album where the band manages to get it – just right!
All in all, the album is pretty good, but it’s not the most original thing ever. However with Yngwie, having long stopped producing “serious” albums… (his efforts with Ripper were bad at the very least) this is a very nice substitute for those who seem to enjoy albums like “Trilogy”, “Odyssey”, “Alchemy” and the likes…
All you neoclassic freaks out there... freak out... the rest, you can probably take a bit of a back seat…