Hard on the heals of the rather excellent 2006 offering ‘’Revenge’’ Danish Power Metallers IRON FIRE return with much more of the same rousing, instantly catchy Power Metal that fans will be familiar with. If anything the band are adopting a more Melodic Metal sound on ‘’Blade Of Triumph’’ That’s not to say that the frequent references to fighting, bloodshed and other customary Power Metal clichés that abound throughout the genre are ignored. Obviously influenced by HELLOWEEN and MAIDEN to a degree IRON FIRE manage quite adeptly to blend straight forward Power Metal with an overtly commercial angel giving them that bit of edge in the burgeoning Power Metal scene.

Fronted by the pipes of Martin Steene a true Metal vocalist in every regard IRON FIRE do the basics very, very well and acolytes of all things Power Metal will delight in many of the songs on offer. There’s whiplash solos, razor sharp riffs and sing-a-long choruses aplenty. Particular highlights include the up tempo ‘’Lord Of The Labyrinth’’, the classy Euro Metal beat of ‘’Follow The Sign’’ or the Metal rampage of ‘’Bloodbath Of Knights’’ and ‘’Steel Invaders’’. Even the imaginatively titled ballad ‘’Legend Of The Magic Sword’’ does little to detract from what is essentially a top drawer Metal record.  

‘’Blade Of Triumph’’ is an undisputed Metal highlight of the year from a band who might not offer anything particularly startling or new on the music front but deliver a cracking Heavy Metal record and that’s good enough for me any day.

(Online July 19, 2007)