#Ironmaster Weapons of Spiritual Carnage

Band: Ironmaster
Title: Weapons of Spiritual Carnage
Label: Black Lion Records
Release date: 28 April 2023
Country: Sweden
Format reviewed: High-quality Digital Recording

Before starting with this review, let me talk to you about the musicians that form Ironmaster, in order you can picture some idea in your head (in case you don’t know this band):

Roberth Karlsson – he is the man responsible of those sick growls, damn, he sounds like a pissed beast, the sounds emerging from his throat are deep and heavy, and sound brutal! Roberth is in Scar Symmetry doing vocals too, so if you are familiar with that band, you know what to expect here.

Janne Jaloma – he’s behind the fast and sick drumming attack, almost blasting at a constant fast pace, ultra fast if I can say it! Surely you know he is the drummer in Dark Funeral, and also in Night Crowned. Yes… you know for sure how skilled and technical Janne is, so you guess it right thinking that he will be relentless here.

Jonas Kjellgren – the master behind the strings, both guitars and bass, he is guilty of the brilliant guitar work in the whole album, maybe you can easily recognize his personal signature as he was one of the co-founders of Scar Symmetry and was in that band until 2013. He also played guitars in Centinex, and did vocals in the bands in Dellamorte and in Carnal Forge. A versatile man, as you can see…

Now, let me talk to you about “Weapons of Spiritual Carnage”, the second full-length by Ironmaster that will be released on April 28th of this year. Like their debut album, what we have here is a dark, aggressive and fast display of Death Metal with some Thrash influences as I can hear. Well… maybe it’s even darker than their previous work. One thing is sure, these guys won’t bring you sweet or peaceful tunes, on the contrary: their music is a brutal and raging slap in your face, and yeah… I love it. The fantastic cover art doesn’t give you hints enough of the content? Well, let’s see what the songs are about…

The album opens with “Solemn Pestilence”, great way to start ‘cause this trio don’t waste their time with subtleties. Energetic, fast paced, powerful riffs that are immediately stuck in your head… and you’ll be headbanging violently in less than a few seconds. Some prog and shredding skills are going on here, Jonas is a guitar master!

I like the way these guys alternate ultra fast attacks with very short moments to breathe in “Ocean of Searing Hatred”, and the way Jaloma smashes his drum kit… Again, the proggy style of Jonas at guitar brings something special to this song.

“Infinite Virulent” is the longest track in the album, over 5 minutes, and it has some varied tempos that makes this song a unique and very rich song, in terms of showing all the styles and tricks this band is able to play: pure Death Metal in the beginning, with some of the sickest pairing between drums/guitar, not to mentioning the animal growls by Roberth; some more technical skills as the song goes on, and a fantastic and even melodic guitar solo in the middle; some Thrash influences here and there… damn, I’m in love again!

“Cast Into the Hollow” starts with a dark, beautiful and calm guitar passage with a few bass notes resonating in the background, just before Roberth tears his throat and Janne is unleashed from the ropes that surely were holding his arms, to start the brutal fast attack… In the middle of the song, the calm returns again and it’s just like my head is in another place, even in another time. Very nice contrast.

Near the end, “Bringer of Deception” is a banger, one of those tracks that can drive you insane if you are in the mood for a violent Death Metal attack; very technical guitar playing again, same as in the closing “Dismantling Eternity”.

This album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Jonas Kjellgren in his own studio, Black Lounge Studios, in Grangärde, Sweden. And let me say that when I listen to it, these are the best 38 minutes of the day for me. 9/10 Sílvia

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9/10 Epic Storm
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