Noteworthy Albums of No Renown #3: Old Ironsides - The Path of Madness

'The Path of Madness'

Artist: Old Ironsides
Album: The Path of Madness
Year: 2011
Label: Self Released

Preview all of the tracks and purchase on their CDBaby page. Listen much more extensively by visiting KeepGem.

There are no Youtube videos available for tracks from this album - and they only have 32 listeners on last.fm.

This is my favorite non-metal, progressive rock release since The Decemberists' The Hazards of Love. A driving, early-70s style psychedelic trip that makes me spontaneously air guitar and yell out words like "righteous!". All of the songs are fantastic (no filler tracks, really) - but the three March of War tracks (Rise, Fall, and Redemption) that end the album are absolutely medieval epic-fantasy battle ready. The solo at 2:48 in March of War: Rise hits a "harness your wyvern, we're going to fight some wizards on top of a volcano" level of grandiosity.

Seriously. I can barely contain my excitement.

For fans of: Deep Purple, The Mars Volta, Blue Oyster Cult, new bands with old sounds