Ironsword

Ironsword came together in Lisbon, Portugal, during 1995 when former Moonspell participant J.A. adopted the name Tann and handled every instrument plus vocals across the group’s initial demo recordings. Only after deciding to take the project onstage did Tann bring in bassist Axemaster and drummer Ricardo Hammer to complete the lineup for the self-titled debut album, which appeared independently in 2002. That record made plain that Ironsword’s sound bore no resemblance to the goth-infused approach of Tann’s prior band; instead it delivered an epic strain of traditional battle metal rooted chiefly in the work of American cult act Manilla Road and in the stories of pulp writer Robert E. Howard, the creator of Conan the Barbarian. The same direction shaped the follow-up Return of the Warrior in 2004, which unveiled a refreshed rhythm section comprising bassist Rick Thor and drummer Beto, and continued with Overlords of Chaos, issued by Shadow Kingdom Records in 2008 and featuring yet another new drummer, Maalm.