Iron Wolf was formed under their former name of Beerzerker in Virginia in 2006 by lead vocalist/guitarist Noah Vavra and lead guitarist Jay Henry. Joining them were bassist Keith Beecher and drummer Oliver K. The original sound of the band was closer to melodic punk, influenced heavily by bands like Tragedy and The Holy Mountain. Beerzerker released a split CD with the band Throw Rocks At Bats in early 2008. As time went by, the band became more and more influenced by the sound of German power metal legends Helloween and Gamma Ray. After Beecher and Oliver K. decided to jump ship, the band added bassist Carl Moore and drummer Noah Trevino to the mix and changed their name to Iron Wolf. The revamped and re-named quartet has performed up and down the East Coast, honing their unique mix of punk attitude and angst with melodic power and thrash metal.

In May of 2009, the band released their first EP under the name Iron Wolf, entitled This You Can Trust. This EP is intended to be a teaser for their first full-length album, titled Reign Of Steel, due to be released at the end of ’09.

The hybrid of punk and metal is nothing new to the metal community. Early Iron Maiden was heavily influenced by punk via frontman Paul Dianno. Metallica and Slayer have been influenced by punk and hardcore bands such as The Misfits and Minor Threat. Last but not least, Motorhead has always had a very punk vibe to their brand of metal. However, Iron Wolf’s approach is quite different, as the mixing of raw punk with the melodic swords and steel vibe of classic power metal takes a bit of musical guts. Let’s see how well they pull it off…

Flying out of the starting gate is the fast and furious opener “Iron Wolf.” It is quite fitting that the first track shares its name with the band that created it, as it gives you the perfect snapshot of the band’s sound: It kicks off with a melodic riff that leads into Maiden-esque dual harmonies, kicked in the ass by the hoof pounding gallop of Trevino’s drums. Top it all off with Vavra’s Lemmy-esque gurgled shouts, and you have a very solid opener which showcases the band’s punk meets power metal attack to a T…all in 2:22!

Iron Wolf’s punk roots come to the forefront on “Stormlords,” as the opening riffs will make many mosh with glee. The ferocity does not let up as Iced Earth style power-thrash chords and more frantic skin pounding back Vavra’s apocalyptic vocals. Another pithy and pounding rocker that will get many heads banging and bodies thrashing about.

Take a brief respite from the pits with the instrumental “Rex Rgis Causus.” Proving that the boys can do more than just kick you in the face with a steel-toed boot, the acoustic work by Vavra and Henry is quite well done and shows another side of the Iron Wolf pack. It’s only lulling you into a false sense of security…

The blitzkrieg of this lightning quick EP is brought to a swift end with “Ambitions of Empire.” The grinding guitars and frenetic drums continue to blast away with authority, while Vavra’s tortured groans speak of the remorse of a conqueror on his death bed ala “Hallowed Be Thy Name.” The punk/metal riffing and shouted gang vocals straight complete the Maiden-meets-Rancid vibe. Another solid track, but the change of pace delivered by the epic outro left me wanting a bit more.

Overall, Iron Wolf’s This You Can Trust is a near perfect introduction to this band of hungry warriors. Mixing the epic feel and melody of power metal with a devil may care middle finger punk attitude, the foursome has proved that safety pins and spiked hair can coexist with leather, fire and steel! Fans of bands like Rancid and The Clash will enjoy this just as much as fans of Iced Earth and Iron Maiden. However, I feel that Iron Wolf is capable of much more, and maybe with their forthcoming debut album Reign Of Steel, we will find how much more potential is there. This wolf pack’s hunt is far from over!

Review written by: Matt B.    
Date: October 11, 2009
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5