Review by Vladimir on February 25, 2024.

Are you ready for pain? Are you ready for suffering? lf the answer is yes, then you're ready for Iron Curtain's Savage Dawn! The spanish speed/heavy/thrash metal band Iron Curtain is back with their fifth full-length album Savage Dawn, released on February 23rd, 2024 via Dying Victims Productions. Put on your leather jackets, grab your chains and jackhammers, it's time to kick out with this bad boy!

As the Savage Dawn begins, the intro track 'The Aftermath' slowly builds up the upcoming devastation from the ground up with ambience, acoustic guitars, violins and whispering narrations. From the next track 'Devil's Eyes', we are welcomed with a powerful speed metal attack that punches you right in the guts, rocking out with very sharp riffs, aggressively fast drumming that incorporates a bit of double-bass, and dirty vocals. The entertainment and action is carried over from one track to another, while each following track manages to throw in other interesting bits that make them all stand out on their own. There are plenty of noteworthy examples, like 'Gypsy Rocker' which goes for a very catchy rock 'n roll driven direction that only amps up the experience, 'Thy Wolf' and 'Калашников 47' introduces a bit more melodic approach. The fifth track 'Калашников 47' in particular provides some nice acoustic guitars on the song's intro and outro, while also finding a perfect spot to include epic backing vocals during the second half that builds up to the conclusion. Along the way you will hear other strong and outstanding bangers such as 'Tyger Speed', 'Evil Is Everywhere', and 'Jericho Trumpet (Stuka)' that builds up to the closing acoustic track 'Savage Dawn', giving this whole journey an epic conclusion.

For a predominantly speed/heavy and slightly thrash metal album, it has a very effective and dynamic songwriting where everything is in place, but where you also get a nice element of surprise in every song. It is incredible how an album such as this smoothly switches between these various styles without stumbling and falling in places that could lead to losing its magic, which is seldom seen with bands of this calibre that are all about oldschool heavy metal and anti-fancy approaches. There are plenty of noteworthy oldschool 80's heavy and speed metal influences heard in the riffs, melodies and vocal lines as well, coming from bands like Running Wild, Grave Digger, Accept, Tank, Exciter, early Slayer, early Iron Maiden and various other classics, which were wonderfully combined to produce this high quality material. Some will definitely argue that producing oldschool metal isn't a difficult task, and although that may be partially true, I'd still say that Iron Curtain managed to come out with something that doesn't feel so "simple and stupid", because like I said before, every song is outstanding and effectively done in its own way to leave a big mark on the album as a whole. What I also adore about this album is the cover photo depicting the band's mascot in the industrial/steel factory background, which may seem a bit goofy-looking at first, but I think it visually depicts exactly Iron Curtain's overall musical output if it had an actual physical form, and in some ways it throws me back to Running Wild's debut album "Gates To Purgatory". As for the production, I'd say that the album sounds quite magnificent and truly heavy, and it doesn't sound overproduced for a modern-day metal album.

I was highly anticipating this banger from the moment Iron Curtain started releasing their album singles, which in the end was more than just "worth the wait" or "paid in full" from a personal standpoint. It's got everything that an oldschool metal maniac desires, from such incredibly strong and sharp bangers to the most uplifting choruses, and it definitely is a brilliant speed metal album. I can guarantee that if you are into oldschool 80's heavy, speed or thrash metal, you will definitely see that this is an "all killer no filler" release that will satisfy your appetites.

Rating: 9.2 out of 10