For me, this is a case of the whole being less than the sum of its parts. All the right ingredients are there: JB's killer voice (love his work in Spiritual Beggars), classic metal riffs, great sounding instruments, Nordic themes...so why don't I love this? It all seems...average. Safe, even. Too many mid-tempo songs that seem to blur together. Nothing really exciting or innovative about the arrangements; it's all very play-by-numbers. No ragged edges to the playing. Repetitive choruses that aren't very compelling - after I hear "silver into steel" repeated 4 times, that's enough, but it goes on and on. I bought this at the same time as Alabama Thunderpussy's "Open Fire" and ironically both bands have been in the "stoner" category earlier in their career but have morphed into a more classic metal/power metal sound. By contrast, I can't get enough of "Open Fire." It also has all the right ingredients but played with fire and passion, and with some cool instrumental breaks. It grabs my ear, whereas "Iron Will" just plods along and I find my interest drifting from boredom. Wish it wasn't so because I really wanted to like this album.
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