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IRON DOGS
Free And Wild

Iron Bonehead Productions (2013)
Rating: 7.5/10

Described in their press release as “Canadian true metal warriors”, the duo that goes by the name of Iron Dogs is back once again to poison our ears. It’s been a year since 2012’s Cold Bitch platter, but doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun, and so Free And Wild is another raging slab of tongue-in-cheek galloping metal influenced by the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal and crusty 80s medieval metal.

For those who know nothing of Iron Dogs, the band is the brainchild of Jo Capitalicide (vocals / guitar / bass / synth) and Dan Lee (drums), and where so many modern bands fail in their attempts to ape the past, this deadly duo can only be applauded for taking 80s metal and making it still sound so, er, 80s!

Just one listen of ‘Firebird’ and we’re transported back to around 1983 with those whining solos, Jo Capitalicide’s chest-pounding vocals and those catchy melodies. In fact, everything about these guys reeks of 80s metal worship, and I’m happy to go along for the ride when such a trip doesn’t cause the nausea I’ve had to put up with regarding so many other bands of this ilk.

What Iron Dogs have done is dig through that musty crate of long forgotten 80s metal gems and fused it all together in order to come up with their own leathery brand of swashbuckling metal. From the front cover to the final strains of ‘Island Of The Dead’, Iron Dogs have set out their stall and it’s one they don’t plan on moving for a while yet.

Like all those old crafty New Wave Of British Heavy Metal bands, Iron Dogs have melted together creaky speed metal, classic metal, and warrior-fuelled melody, giving the feel of a drunken night holed up in a cave and having a care for no one. Sure, the vocals are at times a bit of a warble and there is more than a hint of cheese dripping from the likes of the down to earth ‘Kingdom Of Steel’ and the oaken ramble of ‘Evil In The Keep’, but for those of you who once revelled in the mouldy, moss-covered glory of Heavy Load or Cirith Ungol, then I’m sure you’ll understand the heart and soul which drives this eight-track piece of work.

Admittedly, there is something so simple about this near 30-minute affair, but it takes a talent to carve out a batch of tracks that still work despite their stripped down quality and almost naïve nature, so I’m more than happy to take off my helmet and give a nod of appreciation to Iron Dogs. Whether of course this style of metal will keep them in good stead for years to come is another matter, but for now my advice is to just enjoy the ride and rock out to the likes of ‘Adversity’ and ‘Storm Warning’ and just not worry about what lurks in the next cave.

Neil Arnold

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