Description
Speed Metal made in Germany, that is what you get from Iron Angel. Formed in 1980, the legendary outfit from Hamburg first started out as a school band under the moniker “Metal Gods” (after the song by Judas Priest, of course), mainly playing their favourite mix of KISS, Motörhead, Priest and other (mostly English) heroes; but with the advent of Power Metal, and influenced by artists such as Running Wild, Avenger, who late turned into Rage, and Helloween, the young band began to walk a darker, heavier path and also decided on a new name: “Iron Angel”, allegedly inspired by a novel about a spirit hunter. Vocalist Dirk still remembers how that decision came about, though he doesn’t recall all the details: “We thought that ‘Iron Angel’ fit our new, harder style a lot better than the old name, but to be frank, I don’t remember where we got it from – you know, it really is a long time ago.” Back then, Iron Angel’s greatest influences were, of course: “Priest! Later on we also started listening to other cult bands like Venom and Slayer, who definitely have helped shape our own signature mix of different styles.” The two demos “Legions of Evil” and “Power Metal Attack” were both released in the same year, in 1984. What are the most memorable things that come to Dirk’s mind when he thinks of those two releases? “Working together with Peter and Sven was by far the most memorable thing for me. It was not so much about writing one song after the other; the most important thing was the friendly, emphatic way we listened and responded to each other. I will never forget you, guys.“ Iron Angel’s guitarist Peter “Piet” Wittke who also played bass in the Hamburg-based Thrash Metal outfit Roots died in a car accident in 2000. Guitarist Sven Strüven who played in Iron Angel from 1983-1987 passed away in 2008. Now in what way do the two demos differ from one another? As one followed the other so very quickly, had there any development taken place in between the two? No, says Dirk: “Not really, maybe we had gotten a bit better at playing our instruments, but that’s basically it. We just played what came to our mind, we didn’t really try to fit into any box. We simply recorded all the stuff we all thought was great.”
Track list:
1. Return from Hell-from Legions Of Evil
2. Metallian-from Legions Of Evil
3. Legions of Evil-from Legions Of Evil
4. Church of the Lost Souls-from Legions Of Evil
5. Sinner 666-from Legions Of Evil
6. Heavy Metal Soldiers-from Legions Of Evil
7. Rush of Power-live
8. Intro – Open the Gate-from Power Metal Attack
9. Devil’s Gate-from Power Metal Attack
10. Rush of Power-from Power Metal Attack
11. Maniac of the Night-from Power Metal Attack
12. Sea of Flames-from Power Metal Attack
13. Wife of The Devil-from Power Metal Attack
14. Hounds of Hell-from Power Metal Attack