Upon first spin of Ironsword's Return of the Warrior, this CD immediately reminds one of the very heavy, bluesy, no nonsense metal style of Motorhead. Cross that with the sword & fantasy metal style of bands like Hammerfall and Manowar, and you have Ironsword, who hail from Portugal. Ironsword is comprised of frontman/vocalist/guitarist Tann, bassist Rick Thor, and drummer Maalm.
To describe Ironsword's overall sound, when I first put the CD on I really thought I was listening to Lemmy Kilmister, as Tann has the same low gruffness, although I think it really helps to define who they are. When going onto their website, they all but admit to the gimmickry that surrounds Ironsword. Tann also reminds me a little of Gene Simmons at his absolute nastiest. As for his guitar playing ability, it certainly is above average for the type of metal Ironsword is playing. Along with Rick Thor and Maalm, they possess a good, tight sound.
As for the songs on "Return of the Warrior", we are not looking at the second coming of metal gods such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden or Black Sabbath, as much of the material sounds pretty similar. At the same time, this CD is catchy at times, and certainly very listenable for most metal fans. As I stated earlier, Ironsword is very direct and to the point, as is evidenced by their relatively short songs, which average about 3:45. The entire CD clocks out to 46 minutes. If you are a fan of Motorhead, or any number of fantasy metal bands, then Ironsword's Return of the Warrior may be worth a try.
Track Listing
1. Ironsword
2. Beginning of the End
3. First Masters
4. Return of the Warrior
5. Brothers of the Blade
6. Nemedian Chronicles
7. Way of the Barbarian
8. Dragons of the Sea
9. The Wench
10. War Hymn
11. Death or Glory
12. Let the Titans Collide
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