{"id":94252,"date":"2022-07-01T00:00:29","date_gmt":"2022-06-30T23:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=94252"},"modified":"2022-07-07T18:48:09","modified_gmt":"2022-07-07T17:48:09","slug":"album-review-ironflame-where-madness-dwells","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-ironflame-where-madness-dwells\/","title":{"rendered":"IRONFLAME – Where Madness Dwells (2022) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

IRONFLAME
Where Madness Dwells<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nHigh Roller (2022)<\/span>
Rating: 7.5\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Whether you like Ironflame or not, you can\u2019t argue the fact that there\u2019s hardly a more metal band out there. Where Madness Dwells<\/em> is the fourth full-length opus from the Ohio-based quintet and this is a return to form if you will, although the band has remained pretty consistent throughout its career so far.<\/p>\n

Driven by the vocals and all-round talents of Andrew D\u2019Cagna (also of Brimstone Coven and Icarus Witch), Ironflame channels that Iron Maiden-style of galloping metal spirit \u2013 anthemic, energetic, and glinting in its steely construction like an old trusted sword. Indeed, Ironflame\u2019s latest offering makes me search for superlatives that require sword and sorcery comparisons.<\/p>\n

Opener \u2018Everlasting Fire\u2019 comes out the traps steeped in melody yet with more leather than a wizard\u2019s satchel. There\u2019s the trundling bass, the steady percussion, the fiery axe work and of course the Dickinson-cum-Dio vocal duties. The end result is a smorgasbord of molten metal hotter than a dragon\u2019s breath.<\/p>\n

Okay, I\u2019ll cease with the cheese, but for a band I\u2019ve been on and off with over the years, Where Madness Dwells<\/em> has dug its claws in to my flesh and I\u2019m on board as \u2018Under The Spell\u2019 races with mesmeric aplomb, bordering on thrash with its exuberance fuelled by James Babcock\u2019s stony bass. Then there\u2019s that killer chorus, taking the track into the stratosphere as all hands point to the zenith.<\/p>\n

The melodious hooks keep on coming. \u2018Kingdom Of Lies\u2019 has a nice mid-tempo chug, while \u2018Ready To Strike\u2019 begins with galloping thrash grooves although is a tad repetitious in its chorus. But it\u2019s still catchy and effective, as are \u2018A Curse Upon Mankind\u2019 with its infectious melody, \u2018A Funeral Within\u2019 with its doomy nuances, and the excellent title track with its sizzling introductory riff propelled by Noah Skiba\u2019s drums. The axe work, meanwhile, on \u2018The Phantom Flame\u2019 has to be admired also, the band nifty, airy and yet nostalgic in its pummelling.<\/p>\n

Sure, it\u2019s stereotypical metal in whatever route it takes, but for a night at ye olde inn what better soundtrack in preparation for a war with the Orcs which lurk outside.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

IRONFLAMEWhere Madness Dwells High Roller (2022)Rating: 7.5\/10 Whether you like Ironflame or not, you can\u2019t argue the fact that there\u2019s hardly a more metal band out there. Where Madness Dwells is the fourth full-length opus from the Ohio-based quintet and this is a return to form if you will, although the band has remained pretty […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,4876],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-ironflame"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94252"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94253,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94252\/revisions\/94253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}