If Slayer’s Hell Awaitsand Onslaught’s The Force are still on repeat play round your gaff then Iron Angel’s Hellish Crossfire demands to be revered with a similar fevered adulation.
Opener, “The Metalian”, kickstarts the tempo and Iron Angel never once drop the pace from then on in, unleashing merry hell in the name of real metal and peeling off riffs like the end of the world was truly nigh. Totally in thrall to Satan, these sinners concocted an absolute blast of mid 80’s thrash that remains ridiculously addictive and holds its position as a speed/thrash classic from the genre’s formative years. Iron Angel were ripping heads clean off way back in 1985 and their distinct brand of Germanic speed/thrash may sound a tad meat n’ potatoes to modern ears but Hellish Crossfire was the shit over 30 years ago diabolically evil, face-meltingly fast and leading metal into ever more dangerous realms! A hard rock ballad that avoids cheesy cliches is almost impossible to find but “Broken Heroes” achieves the impossible via hard-hitting subject matter and disciplined musicianship Innocence Is No Excuse is great, “Broken Heroes” is extraordinary. Settled comfortably amidst the polished hard rock anthems sits the album highlight, “Broken Heroes”. Saxon released a seemingly endless stream of quality albums throughout the 80’s and although Innocence Is No Excuse may not be as well known as Wheels Of Steel and Denim And Leather, it is an underrated classic and more than just a strong addition to their considerable back catalogue. (Flotsam And Jetsam) wail was the perfect foil for his bandmate’s hardcore punk infused bouts of maddening metal.ġ4 tracks in just over 30 minutes signals just how fast these guys actually played and precious few could match them for speed in ’85! Trading finesse for brute force, the likes of “ Bombs Of Death” – an all time thrash classic – still managed to drip-feed a little melody into the mix, enabling Hirax’s barely in control barbarity to warrant repeat listening.
His melodic John Cyriis (Agent Steel) meets Eric A.K. With one of the most distinctive voices in thrash – as an ambassador for the genre as well as a vocalist – frontman Katon W. A blistering crossover thrash / speed metal exercise in full-throttle riffing, Hirax may have been a little rough around the edges but their often undervalued contribution to the scene is actually undeniable. An anorexic production job does little to dent the ferocious nature of Hirax‘s powerful debut released during thrash metal’s infancy.