Their name and especially their logo feel super familiar, but I think this is the first time I hear this French band. They started in 2011, released their debut album in 2015, then did a split with TENTATION (another great French band worth checking) in 2018, and now they strike back with their second full length long-play on Gates Of Hell Records, a division of the well-known Italian label, Cruz Del Sur. So, not a super active band, and that is a real shame. Before I will describe their music: what a fantastic cover artwork! Artworks like this one made me buy many albums and discover many excellent bands back in my teenage years. Good to see some bands still pay attention to such details, and prefer to walk an extra mile instead of using sloppy AI creations (and I guess I now need to buy the vinyl version). The music on “Metallic Torments” could be promoted with a slogan like “666% of Metal in Metal” – IRON SLAUGHT do not reinvent the wheel, do not explore new territories, and do not play anything unexpected. Instead, they take us back home, where we all feel good. Their Speed / Heavy Metal from one side sounds like a heavier and more intense version of RUNNING WILD, and from the other side, sometimes get close to “Pentagram Prayer” era of BEWITCHED, especially in those songs where Iron Jeremy (sic!) sings heavier and harder, with more crisp and evil in his voice (like in ‘Primal Conquest’). Also easy to notice they love MAIDEN and the very Classic Metal in general – just listen to ‘Charme Funeste’ for example. Summary? The album is very, very enjoyable. Good sounding production, good compositions, excellent riffing and the purest of pure Metal. Excellent album! https://ironslaught.bandcamp.com, www.facebook.com/gatesofhellrecords