America's New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal has been going strong for a few years now. It's a lot of fun to see this style of music grow and mature, and while there have been some acts that have made some waves, there is still plenty of room for quality NWOTHM. IRONFLAME is most certainly establishing themselves as a torchbearer (pun intended) Of this exciting sub genre of Heavy Metal. Blood Red Victory is the sound of a band that's really hitting its stride and finding what works for them. There are some critiques that I do have about this album, but it's nothing glaringly obvious that is detracting from the experience of listening to it. As someone who is becoming more of a fan of NWOTHM, I am in no way surprised to see such a strong act coming out of the eastern Ohio/western Pennsylvania area. Having been raised in the Midwest myself, I can tell you that most of us from that corner of the world we're raised on a steady diet of Classic Rock and cut our teeth learning all those timeless riffs. So add that on top of being able to research all different kinds of music on the World Wide Web, it makes perfect sense To hear this kind of music from these guys and from this part of the US.

First of all, I will address the compliments that I can make about this album. I can say with all honesty that IRONFLAME succeeded In writing an album that is both anthemic and fun. Andrew D'Cagna Understands incredibly well that if you're going to write an anthemic song, it is best to use terms like "we" and "us" to give the listener the sensation that they are not alone leaving them free to engage with the band and sing along. Also, there is lots and lots and lots of guitar all over the album. I certainly like that, even though I am biased as a guitar player. The solos and the riffing are done very tastefully, and it's obvious that there's no shortage of talent in this roster. When it comes to the vocal performances, the melodies and the harmonies are top notch. Not only are they performed and recorded well, but the melodies are very rememberable. Multiple times this week, the choruses of songs like "Honor Bound" and "Night Queen" came into my mind. That's a telltale sign of a strongly written melody.

I do have a few critiques of the album, and overall, they are minor. And I actually have critiques for the things I praised in the last paragraph, the guitars and the harmonies. The performance of the guitars is amazing, however, the way the guitars were mixed made them sound very harsh to my ears. I listened to the album on multiple sound sources from iPod earbuds to headphones to playing it over my car stereo. Each time the results were the same where after a while, my ears became tired from the harshness of the way the guitars were mixed. In regards to the harmonies, yes they're performed well, but it's the first time I've almost thought there were too many harmonies on an album. Again, this is coming from someone that adores QUEEN and THIN LIZZY and how they use harmonies. I happen to think that the harmonies are a bit overkill on this album. Personally, I think as the band stripped back there sound a little bit more and recorded with all of the members in the studio together, I think it would make for a great sound. However, I understand the struggle of Musicians nowadays. Going into a great studio with a great producer costs money, but even with everything that I could critique about this album, it's still a really good album. These are all minor adjustments that I think would make a difference. Nothing glaringly major is off about this from start to finish.

I think I can truthfully say that this sub genre of heavy-metal is growing on me. It's a lot of fun to see music down in the style of what I grew up with getting popular again. And now, IRONFLAME is another NWOTHM band I can get behind and support. They wear their influences on their shoulder without coming off as cheesy or irrelevant, and the fact that they have graced the stage of top-tier festivals in both the US and Europe is testament to the strength of their live show and their albums. Each of these songs could easily be the soundtrack to either a Dungeons & Dragons session or a drunken night at the local bar or a drunken D&D session at the local bar (I've seen that happen). And yes, as always, BUY THIS ALBUM!!!