Iron Savior: Kill Or Get Killed (AFM, 2019)

Sci-fi obsessed German power metal legends Iron Savior are back with a new album, titled Kill Or Get Killed. It’s the band’s 10th studio album (or 12th, depending on whether you count their rerecordings), and once more the long-running band reminds us why they’re one of the best power metal bands Germany has to offer.

No epic concepts this time around. Kill Or Get Killed is your average Iron Savior album, which is to say it’s already heads and shoulders better than most power metal albums. The band has been at this since the late ’90s though, and they definitely have a sound that works for them. That old school heavy power metal sound with speed and melody battling for the upper hand while guitarist/singer Piet Sielck’s titanic vocals tower over everything. It’s such a massive sound overall, and it never gets old because they do it so damned well.

Kill Or Get Killed doesn’t waste time with introductory tracks or instrumental interludes. It comes in hard with the blistering title track and never slows down. 10 songs, all power anthems. Zero ballads. The song titles do a pretty good job of telling you what to expect: “Roaring Thunder,” “Stand Up and Fight,” “Never Stop Believing.” You will sing along and you will bang your head. The only song with a less than breakneck pace is the 8-minute “Until We Meet Again,” and even that one is heavy as hell with a classic Scorpions vibe.

It’s easy to take a band like Iron Savior for granted because they’ve been at this so long and they’re so consistent, both in pace and quality. The fact remains they’re one of the best bands in the power metal genre, and they prove that with every new album. Sure, it’s only March, but Kill Or Get Killed is likely to be one of the best power metal albums you’ll hear all year. It’s a must for fans of heavier power metal like Brainstorm, Orden Ogan, Steel Engraved, Helion Prime and Dire Peril.

Edition Notes: The CD version of Kill Or Get Killed comes in a digipack and includes a cover of AC/DC’s “Sin City” as a bonus track.