IRON CURTAIN were formed in 2007. The Spanish Speed and Thrash Metal band released three EPs and four full-length albums so far. The fifth album “Savage Dawn” was mixed by Javi Felez (MEAN MACHINE; MORBID FLESH) and mastered by Jaime Gomez Arellano (ANGEL WITCH; EINHERJER; MOONSPELL). It has a length of about 38 minutes. The album was released via German Heavy, Speed, and Thrash Metal specialists Dying Victim Productions. As many albums, “Savage Dawn” starts with a tension-building, dark intro transitioning into the fast and direct “Devil’s Eyes”, which has many old school Speed Metal vibes and I immediately thought about the good old times when EXCITER ruled the world. There are a few differences of course, and it starts with the harsh vocals, which are around the medium end of the vocal range and hardly include the highly pitched trademark screams, we all know from the 80s. “Devil’s Eyes” has strong basslines that are very prominent throughout the track, and the guitar riffing is classical direct Speed Metal riffing. The track has been released as video, and the YouTube link is provided below. “Gypsy Rockers” continues with the speed, and we are going even more old school as the track has the classical Heavy Metal early 80s inspirations in the guitar riffing and the lead guitars. Highlight is the very contributing lead guitar solo. “The Wolf” is another fast track with the guitars leaning more towards classical tight Thrash Metal riffing. The main focal point are the melodies for the verse and chorus parts, where the choruses are almost sing-alongs.

“Калашников 47” starts with an acoustic guitar pre-lude, which fades out completely after a minute, just for the main part of the track to restart. The framework of this fast track is based on the acoustic prelude. Verse parts, bridges, and the chorus parts remain unchanged in tempo and rhythm, just the break leading to the lead guitar solo slows down to mid-tempo. The lead guitar solo is again the highlight of the track alongside the crunching basslines. The melodies have a slight melancholic touch and a few Russian Folk vibes throughout the track. The track finishes with the acoustic theme of the pre-lude. It is with almost eight minutes the longest album track and sounds a bit different than most album songs. “Калашников 47” is surely one of my favorite album tracks. “Rattlesnake” goes back to the trademark album sound, which is strongly inspired by the early 80s Metal and Hardrock sound. It is not an overly fast song, clearly the first three tracks had more to offer in terms of pace. The chorus parts with the vocal lines are one again anthemic.

“Tyger Speed” is a bit more aggressive, and it comes with more Thrash Metal riffing. The song has written again those EXCITER vibes all over it in terms of the guitar riffing, the vocal style, and the song textures including the background vocals for the chorus lines. It is a great Speed Metal track and one of the album highlights. “Evil Is Everywhere” starts with a spine-chilling cinematic intro, leading into a mid-tempo track driven by the crushing bass and the powerful riffing. The story of the track is quickly told: it is another celebration of early 80s Metal history. The main focal point are the lead guitars and the basslines as they lead through the track. “Jericho Trumpet (Stuka)” starts with a thunderous guitar intro, transitioning into another fast track driven by the Thrash Metal riffing. It is one of the few tracks, besides “Калашников 47”, which is a bit more modern and without those classical Metal vibes. The melodies are darker compared to most tracks and have a slight tendency towards melancholy. The album finishes the title track, and it is a dark guitar-driven short instrumental, based on the same melodies as the intro “The Aftermath”.

IRON CURTAIN deliver an album that is a reminiscence of classical Speed and Heavy Metal of the early 80s. Most of the songs on “Savage Dawn” inevitably remind on old Metal classics. You either like it or not. In my opinion, the best album tracks are those that do not have those old school inspirations. Highlight of most album tracks are the lead guitars. They give the songs an extra dimension. The album production is reflective on the 80s sound. Traditional Speed Metal fans will surely love “Savage Dawn” and all their references to the good old times.