| Iron Savior | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 30 June 1997 | |||
| Recorded | October 1996 – February 1997 at Powerhouse Studio and Hansen Studio | |||
| Genre | Power metal, heavy metal | |||
| Length | 52:43 | |||
| Label | Noise | |||
| Producer | Piet Sielck | |||
| Iron Savior chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
Iron Savior is the debut studio album by the German power metal band Iron Savior. It was released in 1997 on Noise Records. It is the only album to feature former Blind Guardian drummer Thomen Stauch.
The Iron Savior is a gigantic vessel in the orbit of the planet Earth. It is controlled by an immortal human brain – the bio-unit – which is hooked to a mighty computer system that carries out its orders and controls the vessel’s daily routine. The Iron Savior was built and designed by the ancient civilisation of Atlantis to defend themselves against the deadly threat of the so called Alliance.
Except the lost continent of Atlantis, all land was controlled and dominated by this global force. In these parts of the world moral evolution took a different path. Gaining ultimate power was their only focus. Ruled by pure egoism, where killing and betraying were legal methods to achieve welfare, this civilisation never developed a social spirit. To care and provide for themselves as well as possible was their only existing law. For millennia the balance of power between Atlantis and the Alliance made war useless since the Atlantean weapon technology was more developed.
But suddenly this balance was about to change and an Alliance attack on Atlantis seemed to become possible. In this situation, Atlantis developed a global defence project based on a huge vessel in Earth orbit, the Iron Savior. Equipped with the latest technology and enormous firepower this project was supposed to regain the old balance of power again.
But then the dream of a peaceful co-existence was broken. A traitor sold the secret codes to the Alliance. With these codes the Alliance managed to paralyse the Savior’s bio-unit and to take control over the computer. In a devastating assault the defender turned into a dreadful assailant and the moon colony of Atlantis was turned to dust.
But the war was not lost yet. A brave landing team managed to board the Iron Savior and to regain control. In a race against time they sent the vessel out into space to make a second misuse by the Alliance impossible. They programmed a course that should bring the Savior back to the Sol system 350,000 years later in the hope that the conflict will be resolved and Earth would be united. For those men it was a final journey of no return. Before they died out in the cold a prime directive for all actions was programmed into the computer systems in case the Alliance would still exist: Protect Atlantis and conquer the Alliance. This directive could only be deactivated by the proper Atlantean security code sequences.
But it was already too late to stop the war. In grim and rage the Alliance pushed their buttons and in a final atomic strike Atlantis was destroyed completely and was lost in the seas forever.
But the rest of the world was also affected by this catastrophe. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, atomic fallout and dramatic changes in climate turned Earth into a living hell. Those who survived, slowly, from generation to generation , degenerated more and more. Finally evolution was thrown back into the stone age where the dawning of another mankind began…
Now in the year 2108 the Iron Savior returned to Earth and is confronted with a scenario where the civilisation of Atlantis no longer exists. All attempts to contact possible survivors failed. The bio-unit is still paralysed and unable to make decisions. So the computer still in charge draws the fatal conclusion that Atlantis was destroyed by the Alliance who still exists and rules the planet. With the logic of a lifeless machine the Iron Savior carries out its Prime directive:
PROTECT ATLANTIS AND CONQUER THE ALLIANCE.
All tracks are written by Piet Sielck, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Arrival" | 1:08 |
| 2. | "Atlantis Falling" | 4:34 |
| 3. | "Brave New World" | 4:32 |
| 4. | "Iron Savior" | 4:26 |
| 5. | "Riding on Fire" | 4:54 |
| 6. | "Break It Up" | 5:01 |
| 7. | "Assailant" | 4:18 |
| 8. | "Children of the Wasteland" | 4:48 |
| 9. | "Protect the Law" | 4:16 |
| 10. | "Watcher in the Sky" (written by Piet Sielck and Kai Hansen) | 5:21 |
| 11. | "For the World" | 5:24 |
| 12. | "This Flight Tonight" (Nazareth cover; written by Joni Mitchell) | 3:56 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Rage" (Judas Priest cover) | Glenn Tipton, Rob Halford, K.K. Downing | 4:50 |
The same recording of "Watcher in the Sky" was used on Gamma Ray's Valley of the Kings EP, which was also released in 1997. The version used on Gamma Ray's Somewhere Out in Space album is a different recording, although both, Sielck and Stauch also performed on that one.
Nightfall in Middle-Earth is the sixth studio album by the German power metal band Blind Guardian. It was released on 28 April 1998 through Virgin Records. It is a concept album based on J. R. R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion, a book of tales from the First Age of Middle-earth, recounting the troubled history of Beleriand as the Elves battle with the Dark Lord Morgoth. The album contains not only songs but also spoken parts narrating parts of the story. The cover depicts a scene from The Silmarillion, the elf Lúthien dancing in front of the Dark Lord Morgoth.
Imaginations from the Other Side is the fifth studio album by the German power metal band Blind Guardian, released in 1995. The atmosphere of this album is darker in comparison to their earlier works, such as Battalions of Fear, which had a relatively light tone. This album also marks the first since Battalions of Fear which Kai Hansen did not contribute guest vocals or guitar, and the last album to feature vocalist Hansi Kürsch as bassist. It was also their first album to spawn singles, namely "A Past and Future Secret" and "Bright Eyes". It was remastered and re-released on 15 June 2007, with bonus tracks and videos.
Somewhere Far Beyond is the fourth studio album by the German power metal band Blind Guardian. It was released in 1992 and produced by Kalle Trapp. The cover artwork was created by Andreas Marschall, who also drew the artwork for other Blind Guardian's releases. The album saw the band creating its own original sound, while still employing most of their speed/power metal techniques.
Tokyo Tales is the first live album by German power metal band Blind Guardian. It was remastered and re-released on 15 June 2007, with the same Japanese bonus track.
Iron Savior is a German power metal band that was formed in Hamburg in 1996. Following a period of several years working behind the scenes in music production, multi-instrumentalist and producer/engineer Piet Sielck joined with former Helloween bandmate Kai Hansen and then-drummer for Blind Guardian, Thomen Stauch in a new project that would blend power metal with a high-concept science fiction story. The band's debut album Iron Savior introduced the story that would be told over the course of multiple albums, featuring a self-aware space vessel called the Iron Savior and its relationship to the mythical lost civilization of Atlantis.
Savage Circus is a German/Swedish power metal band originally formed as a side project by Thomas "Thomen" Stauch before leaving Blind Guardian.
Dreamland Manor is the debut album of German power metal band Savage Circus. The album sounds similar to older classic Blind Guardian.
Somewhere Out in Space is an album by German power metal band, Gamma Ray. It was released on 25 August 1997 and is the band's fifth studio album. Continuing in the tradition of the previous four albums, it contained yet another different lineup, but would also be the first album to feature the band's longest standing lineup. The album featured Dirk Schlächter on bass for the first time since his guest appearance on Heading for Tomorrow, Henjo Richter on guitar and Dan Zimmermann on drums.
Interlude is an EP by the German power metal band Iron Savior, composed of five live tracks, four new songs, and one cover. The live tracks were recorded at the 1998 Wacken Open Air festival during the tour promoting their first album, Iron Savior. The new songs return to the ongoing science fiction story that began on the debut album and continued on the band's second album Unification. "Desert Plains" is a cover of Judas Priest's song from the album Point of Entry. It is the first release to feature drummer Thomas Nack.
Battering Ram is the fifth studio album by the German power metal band Iron Savior. It is the first album to feature bassist Yenz Leonhardt.
Condition Red is the fourth studio album by the German power metal band Iron Savior. It continues the science fiction story that the band introduced on their debut album Iron Savior and continued on Unification, the Interlude EP, and Dark Assault. It is the last album to feature keyboardist Andreas Kück and bassist Jan-Sören Eckert.
Dark Assault is the third studio album by the German power metal band Iron Savior. It continues the science fiction story that the band introduced on their debut album Iron Savior and continued on Unification and the Interlude EP. It is the first album to feature guitarist Joachim Küstner and the last to feature Kai Hansen before committing himself back to his band Gamma Ray.
Unification is the second studio album by the German power metal band Iron Savior. It continues the science fiction story that began on the first album Iron Savior. It is the only album to feature former Gamma Ray and Freedom Call drummer Dan Zimmermann.
Piet Sielck is a German guitarist, singer and record producer. He is the frontman of the power metal band Iron Savior as well as owner of the studio Powerhouse in Hamburg.
Tales from the Twilight World is the third studio album by the German power metal band Blind Guardian, released on 2 October 1990.
The Landing is the seventh full-length album by the German power metal band Iron Savior, released on 18 November 2011. It was recorded, mixed and mastered at Powerhouse Studio in Hamburg from June - September 2011 with the drums being recorded at Rekorder Studio in August 2011. It is the first album to feature returning bassist Jan-Sören Eckert since the 2002 album Condition Red.
Rise of the Hero is the eighth studio album by German heavy metal band Iron Savior which was released on 28 February 2014 via AFM Records. It was recorded, mixed and mastered at Powerhouse Studio in Hamburg from June - December 2013 with the drums being recorded at Rekorder Studio in November 2013.
Titancraft is the ninth studio album by German heavy/power metal band Iron Savior. It was released on 20 May 2016 by AFM Records and on 25 May 2016 by Japanese-based record label Avalon. It was recorded, mixed and mastered at Powerhouse Studio in Hamburg from September 2015 - February 2016 with the bass being recorded at John Zorn MR. It is the last album to feature long time drummer Thomas Nack when he departed the band in 2017.
Coming Home is an EP of German heavy metal band, Iron Savior. It was published as an EP on 14 July 1998 for the European market by Noise Records, and on October 14 of that year as a single for the Japanese market by Victor.
Reforged – Riding on Fire is the tenth studio album by German heavy/power metal band Iron Savior, which was released on 22 November 2017 in Japan and on 8 December 2017 in Europe as a 2-CD package. The album consists of re-recorded material of the most popular and best songs which dates from the band's 1997 self-titled debut album up until 2004's Battering Ram, when they were signed to Noise Records. It is also the first album to feature new drummer Patrick Klose since he joined in early 2017. The first track "Riding on Fire" was made available for streaming on 2 November 2017 prior of the album's release, followed by "Battering Ram" on 7 December 2017.
