Metal Underground.com

Iron Savior's "The Landing" is the return of vanilla German power metal the way bands like Accept, Rage, Grave Digger, and Running Wild established it in the 80's and maintain it today. Mastermind Piet Sielck (vocals/guitars) tries nothing new, flashy, or different opting to stay true to form. To some, German power metal may seem mundane and unoriginal, that is if you consider blistering riffs, anthem hymns to metal, and gargantuan catchy choruses mundane. To me, it is always a welcome sound and a reminder of how important the power metal scene is even if a large portion of fans are bent on labeling it "silly" or "cheesy."

This isn't to say that "The Landing" is stunning perfection. Like most Iron Savior albums, as great as the songs are, there is always one or two filler tracks that would qualify as mundane. "R.U. Ready" is rendered useless in light of the great "Heavy Metal Never Dies." The power ballad "Before The Pain" is a good and "mature" ballad, almost too inspiring when the remaining tracks bathe in the adolescent congruence of sci-fi and metal. Other than that, the album is the classic Iron Savior song writing as expected.

With that said, you'd be hard pressed to not be immediately coddled with such great songs like "The Savior," with its hulking riffs and intensifying chorus. Speedy numbers like "Starlight" and "Faster Than All" (with its spaghetti western influence) both seem to be gleefully dating circa 1990 Blind Guardian. The album's best tracks are the blood stained, metal soaked "Heavy Metal Never Dies" and "Hall Of Heroes," which get help with way more than a mere pinch of Manowar for inspiration. The choruses get no better than the gushing over the top "Moment In Time."

Sure, go ahead and roll your eyes and pretend that a healthy dose of cheesy power metal is not something we all indulge in as true metal fans. Pretend you are cool and dare not admit that bands like Iron Savior, Gamma Ray and Manowar grace countless stereos, computers, and iPods worldwide. When the Iron Savior lands in your town, will you be able to keep away from throwing fists and horns, engaging in rhythmic headbanging and drowning in the melted Limburger of metal brotherhood you crave? Do you remember the last time you saw a power metal show that wasn't packed? Liars! Long live the Iron Savior!