Power metal -- a forceful, hard-driving,and aggressive yet melodic style of heavy metal associated with headbangers like
Iron Maiden,
Judas Priest,
Queensrÿche,
Helloween, and
King Diamond -- got started in the '70s and reached its commercial peak in the '80s. But after the '80s -- after
Nirvana and
Pearl Jam radically reshaped rock music in general -- power metal (which is closely related to fantasy metal) was considered old-school and wasn't nearly as plentiful; the dominant metal style of the '90s and 2000s has been alternative metal (a broad, far-reaching term that has been applied to everyone from
Hammerlock to
Rage Against the Machine to
Sevendust). Nonetheless, some new power metal bands surfaced in the '90s, and their melodic yet aggressive approach was a throwback to the '70s and '80s. Like Sweden's
Evergrey, Argentina's
Jezabel, Italy's
Rhapsody, and New Jersey's
Symphony X, Germany's Iron Savior is a '90s/2000s band that is untouched by post-'80s alt metal; unapologetically retro, Iron Savior is mindful of
Priest,
Maiden,
Queensrÿche,
Helloween, and other bands from power metal's heyday. Everything about Iron Savior is retro in a '70s/'80s-like fashion; from their appearance to their guitar riffs to their larger-than-life, fantasy-band lyrics, Iron Savior takes listeners back to a time when
Saxon,
Grim Reaper,
Savatage, and
King Diamond reigned supreme.
Iron Savior was formed in Germany in 1996 by veteran headbanger
Piet Sielck, a multi-faceted singer, guitarist, producer, engineer, and keyboardist who had been in a very early lineup of
Helloween back in the early '80s. It was in 1996 that
Sielck (who has no problem singing and writing in English despite growing up in a country where German is the primary language) recruited singer/guitarist
Kai Hansen (of
Helloween and
Gamma Ray fame) and drummer
Thomen Stauch (who had been with
Blind Guardian). Along the way, Iron Savior has had its share of lineup changes. Both
Hansen and
Stauch have since left the band; another ex-member is drummer
Dan Zimmerman (who has also been with
Gamma Ray and
Freedom Call). Reportedly,
Hansen left Iron Savior on friendly terms with
Sielck; after deciding that trying to split his time between Iron Savior and
Gamma Ray was way too demanding, he opted to simplify his life and concentrate on
Gamma Ray exclusively. In 2002, Iron Savior's five-person lineup included
Sielck (lead vocals, guitar),
Joachim Küstner (guitar, background vocals),
Jan Soren Eckert (bass, background vocals),
Andreas Kuck (keyboards, background vocals), and
Thomas Nack (drums, percussion). Iron Savior's self-titled debut album was released in 1997; it was followed by
Unification in 1998,
Interlude in 1999,
Dark Assault in 2001, and
Condition Red in 2002.
2000 - I've Been To Hell EP
01- Royal Hunt - game of fear
