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IRON SPELL
From The Grave

Dying Victims Productions (2025)
Rating: 6.5/10

When I first slapped the new Iron Spell album on I thought there was something wrong with my ears. I played it again and then began to question my stereo system, although it had never let me down before. So, I played From The Grave on two other music systems and bam, the same thing again.

To say that Iron Spell’s second full-length – their first since 2016 debut Electric Conjuring – suffers from mixing issues is the understatement of the year. As soon as vocalist Merciless begins his chants of “Riding from a distant place…” on opener ‘Curse Of The Ushers’ I’m beginning to wonder if he was locked in a cupboard by the rest of the band when they recorded this record.

The vocals throughout are so low in the mix that it naturally affects the experience. It’s also worth noting that the instruments sound too thin. The sound is tight but lacks punch, as if everything is delivered with restraint. Lastly, and this is minor quibble, the cover just doesn’t suit the music. Iron Spell fans have waited almost a decade for this album and I hope they are as honest as me with their opinions.

If you’re not familiar with Iron Spell, they are a quintet from Santiago in Chile that plays straight up heavy metal. Littered with gallops galore, From The Grave does border on power metal at times while also honing on traditional metal. It’s an interesting mix as ‘Sorceress’ zips along with pace, but to maintain some sort of Gothic intrigue songs such as ‘Children Of The Night’ offer an 80s style of unison, springing the darker nostalgic themes with elements of Skid Row.

However, influences are numerous; the likes of Dio, Cinderella, King Diamond and Lizzy Borden all spring to mind as theatrical touches blend with speedier arrangements. There’s no denying that the band members are talented musicians, but it’s just a shame that there’s no real fire to heat this album up.

‘Devil King’ begins with some militant drumming courtesy of Steelhammer and the axe work of Terry and Raiden is airy but lacking weight. If the mix wasn’t so poor then songs like ‘Release From Darkness’ would really catch fire. There are still plenty of good moments and hooky melodies. ‘Whispers Of Sorrow’ propels Ivlock’s bass to the fore; there’s similarity to Mötley Crüe’s ‘Primal Scream’ initially before unravelling as a cool mid-paced rocker. Meanwhile, ‘Black, Hot & Heavy’ runs like Adrian Smith / Dave Murray of Iron Maiden flecked with traces of Enforcer and Wolf.

From The Grave is a nifty opus of that I’ve no doubt, but it just sounds like the spine has been ripped out and replaced by a plastic straw, and Merciless is still banging on the studio door to get back in. Considering the yawning void of time between album releases, you’d have thought that Iron Spell would have picked up on the production flaws, but alas, no. And so, we are left with a record of what could have been; a heavy metal opus that tends to shy away from the heavy part because someone behind the desk forgot to push the right buttons.

Neil Arnold

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