VELVET THUNDER

Where Madness Dwells is album number four from this rather fine traditional heavy metal band from Ohio in the US which was formed by the multi-instrumentalist Andrew D’Cagna sometime around 2016. He usually plays all of the instruments as well as being the voice of the band and he is a most adept, phenomenal guitarist too. D’Cagna definitely has hard rock flowing through his veins and you can also enjoy his music with the bands Icarus Witch and Brimstone Coven with both being excellent hard rock bands with a distinct 80s NWOBHM vibe although I must now get used to calling it NWOTHM.

All of the Ironflame albums to date have been built on the ‘classic’ metal of Iron Maiden and Diamond Head with D’Cagna having a definite sound of Bruce Dickinson about him which is always going to be a great advantage in the rock world! The publicity states that D’Cagna is responsible for all of the music but then goes on to state that the band also features Quinn Lukas and Jesse Scott on guitars with James Babcock on bass and Noah Skiba on drums so I’m assuming that they feature for live work only rather than studio as these were also credited on 2020’s Blood Red Victory although Lukas and Scott did add solos for that record so they may also feature on this release too. The three earlier records told epic tales of myth and legend and there is still an element of fantasy about Where Madness Dwells but, in the main, the themes are a little more down to earth and more of a personal statement from D’Cagna concerning events happening on the global stage but the music remains classic hard rock/heavy metal with a 70s/80s feel that takes you back to Maiden, Tokyo Blade and Tygers Of Pan Tang with definite Thin Lizzy-type exhilarating guitar breaks. There is a nice touch at the beginning and end of the album with the sonorous tones of Vincent Price being used with passages taken from The Masque of the Red Death which gives a chilling edge to the music contained within.

Where Madness Dwells offers up so much to admire and enjoy and, yes, it may have been done already but Ironflame do it so very well and you take care otherwise you be swept away on a glorious tide of hard rock and I warn you now that you will most definitely need your air guitar for this one.