Let me start by naming some facts first; “Astral Iron” is being released on November 22, 2024. It will be the debut album of Heavy/Doom/Stoner/Sludge Metal band HIGH WARDEN. This band from Münster in Germany is rather new, and only has the EP “Land Of Stone” (2022) on their list of releases so far, and it was made available to the public in the year that they were founded. At least that is what their Facebook page says. As you can see by the names of the band members, they are trying to stay as anonymous as possible. They don’t want themselves to be the centre of attention. No, that honour is for their music. I hope to be able to tell you whether they are right in their assumption.

If you look at the Metal Archives site, you will find that they are classed as Doom Metal. For me personally the impression is that that window much to narrow. That is why I have taken the liberty to add Heavy, Stoner and Sludge Metal. All these musical directions are apparent at one time or other, and I have to admit that the mix of it all makes good sense. This sounds bloody good. Having a very fitting deep and rumbling sound does help in that respect. Even though you only get six songs on “Astral Iron”, you still will be entertained by HIGH WARDEN for just over 37 minutes. And yes, this certainly is entertaining, as all the music on offer here has structure, has depth, has meaning and will burn itself into your subconscious.

As for rating “Astral Iron”, that is not too difficult. This is rather good put together, and there is not one time that you get bored whilst listening to what HIGH WARDEN is shoving our way. And as for making their music the centre of attention, I have to admit that with “Astral Iron” they have made the right choice. It is quite a pleasure to listen to the album. This isn’t your run of the mill downtrodden Doom. No, HIGH WARDEN plays with the emotions; you get a range that goes from nearly happy music to almost desolate. But in the whole, I would say that these guys will put a smile on your face while you are listening to “Astral Iron”. I now wonder how they will sound live. If they can replicate the sound of the album or come close, they should nail that in an instance.