If you have at least one working eye and even a general knowledge of what’s going on in metal, you can probably guess what’s on tap here based purely on the cover artwork alone. And while the temptation certainly exists to cruelly mislead people into believing None but the Brave is a hell of a brooding goth-rock or raw black metal record, the indomitable fact remains: Ironsword play Heavy, Traditional, Warrior, Barbarian, Epic, Old-school, Old-man/woman Vest Metal. That’s good news for those who can’t get enough of the classics, but the even better news is that album number four from these Portuguese conquerors finds the band continuing the upward swing delivered by 2008’s already victorious Overlords of Chaos, further solidifying Ironsword as your go-to source for metal that’s perfectly suited for overriding your boss/neighbor/insignificant-other from atop a warhorse and running them through with a 7 foot glaive.
And as long as we’re on the subject of swords & shields, it’s also interesting that many of the same folks who draw a line in the sand when it comes to epic D&D metal are often the first to jump down G.R.R.M./HBO’s throat whenever Game of Thrones spends too much time talking politics and not enough time driving steel through plate armor. It’s the same sort of escape, for fuck’s sake, and you know damn well that a fellow like Robert Baratheon would’ve tossed every lute-toting troubadour in the Seven Kingdoms to the lions if Ironsword were available to kick songs like “Ring of Fire” into his meaty ears.
But here’s the blunt truth: There are a LOT of people in metal today who arrived without the guidance of Ye Olde Guard, so they have virtually zero passion for the elder Manowar, Omen and Ungols of yesteryear that were responsible for sparking the medieval metal fires that bands like Ironsword continue to poke in 2015. That’s obviously fine – there’s room enough for us all – but if you can’t even muster a shred of appreciation for the sort of heavy metal joy going down from around 2:10 to 3:00 in “Armies of Darkness,” please consider taking that extra step if you ever find yourself looking down from a cliff at a long-haired James Earl Jones beckoning “come to me, my child…”
For those who’ve been in the Ironsword camp for lo these many years, you will find as much to love within None but the Brave as any of the band’s previous material, but the formula is noticeably stripped down compared to the swirling, ambitious ride that was Overlords of Chaos. The epic Manilla Road influence is of course still accounted for, particularly within those beautifully glassy leads, and whenever chief architect João “Tann” Fonseca balances his more gruff, biker/barbarian-styled vocals with the unmistakable Mark Shelton nasal delivery. But a large portion of None but the Brave – especially the front half – kicks the energy up a few notches and comes across more like Di’Anno-era Maiden filtered through, well, the early days of Ironsword.
This also brings to light one of the record’s most noticeable upper hands: The outstanding performance delivered via bassist Aires Pereira, who lends a decidedly skillful Steve Harris flavor to these tunes that’s accentuated by the finest, most balanced production job I’ve heard on an Ironsword release. Unfortunately, Aires’ long-standing commitment to fellow countrymen Moonspell has left the fluttering bass duties to Jorge Martins, but the ever-revolving door for bassists and drummers is nothing terribly new to Tann, and he always manages to land people who fit snuggly within the Ironsword design.
As satisfying as the album’s energetic front half is (Note: “Betrayer” is an absolute BELTER of a track), the infusion of a few mid-paced wallopers in the record’s back six really help drive the sale home. The epic gallop of the aforementioned “Armies of Darkness,” for example, or the grinding, Burlier Than Thou flogging of “Eye for an Eye” both triumph, but “Cursed and Damned” truly hits a sweet spot as it slowly laments the misery of a crumbled king through Tann’s warm & somber lead-play – something that gets an even greater spotlight during the album’s closing three minutes before the door slams shut with a brief, backwards message from a delightfully grumpy beast.
Although I will always encourage the liberating potential behind routinely embracing your inner barbarian, you obviously don’t need leather gauntlets and falconry knowledge to feel comfortable stepping into 40 minutes of kick ass medieval retrogression metal. I mean, as David Wooderson once so wisely stated, “it’d be a lot cooler if you did,” but we ain’t here to judge; be that dude at the Ren Faire sporting Dockers and a golf shirt. Once you strip away the Robert E. Howard-isms behind None but the Brave, you’re essentially left with a roaringly candid head-knocker of a traditional metal record that would be wise addition to most any banger’s collection, whether or not you consider yourself a modern day barbarian.
Great to have you back, Ironsword.
