Iron Hero

"A chilly blend of wispy vocals, dark, poetic lyrics, and echoing, reverbed guitars over tight percussion, Iron Hero's sound is a taste of sheer shogaze-rock bliss." - Paste Magazine (Oct 2006)

"On their self-released album, Safe As Houses, Iron Hero have a very classic indie pop sound that puts me in mind of several other bands. The first that comes to mind is early The Appleseed Cast; and I can also hear similarities to indie band du jour, Death Cab for Cutie. But these comparisons, which are largely a result of their blend of shimmering guitars and soft, melodic vocals, are just to give you an idea of what to expect. Their overall sound is a delightful and timeless indie pop effort that is well deserving of their current rising fame." - Kinky Origami

What might be one person’s charm might be another’s wasted potential, but the band’s debut album Safe As Houses, like the best of Teenage Fanclub, shows: a) effortless charm, b) just enough effort to be consistently charming, and c) such a rich comprehension of the last 40 years of guitar rock that the whole question of potential rock stardom only seems relevant because these guys really should be making a living at this. - Flagpole Magazine

Iron Hero is by far the best band regularly performing in Athens, and their self-released debut album, Safe As Houses, proves it. - Athens Exchange

Huge but airy art-pop anthems that seem designed to be played in large venues and open air festivals. - Fluxblog.org (via Stereogum.com)

Iron Hero got my adoration with two things: delightful pop and some oh so delightful fuzz. With songs like "Heart of a Ghost," surely Iron Hero's days of self-releasing albums will be a thing of past, ie., there's a label somewhere out there who has gotta snatch them up soon. - 3hive.com

Safe As Houses is the six-piece group’s debut album. Breaking from an entirely different scene, the Athens, Georgia band has no sonic affiliations with the long-running Elephant 6 collective. Instead, these are dark, intricate songs born of post-punk mothers and synthesizer dads. Most are fast-moving compositions as complex as they are pulse-pounding, played by a band with sizable technical abilities. These are visceral songs, wiry if not Wire-taut. The heart-racing pace is effective, especially when early tracks “Pilot” and “Heart of a Ghost” crescendo into heavy waves of static and the more restrained “Bomb Shelter” explodes into dynamic riffing...Safe As Houses is a record with plenty of appeal for those willing to submerge themselves within its depths. - CokeMachineGlow

The music is often startlingly beautiful — awe-inspiring in the same way Hubble photographs portray an unfamiliar universe. The arrangements on Safe as Houses are so wonderfully contrapuntal, and the textures are so perfectly complimentary, that the record is nearly an application of Occam’s Razor: the most concise structures, in this case, are the most effective. Credit Josh McKay’s production and the combined efforts of six talented musicians for this correspondence. - Delusions of Adequacy

Rating: 3.5 out of 5
The debut album is always a tricky thing for a young band, especially one with copious talent and expansive musical interests. In such cases, the major obstacle to overcome isn't bland repetition. Rather, the problem is creating a recognizable musical identity out of the kaleidoscope of influences that a gaggle of fledging rockers will invariably bring to the table. While others may still have to sweat over pulling off such a feat, Iron Hero can breath a sigh of relief, as they've acquitted themselves admirably with their inaugural offering, Safe As Houses. For a six-piece, the sound is surprisingly lean and muscular, with the rhythm section taking a prominent role in giving the songs an intoxicatingly propulsive character that never actually whips into an overheated boil. "Wearing a Wire" kicks the affair off beautifully with the aforementioned rhythm squad confidently providing a serpentine bed for more ethereal guitars and vibraphone to shimmer above beautifully. The result is both tense and a bit woozy, and it matches nicely Sam Gunn's worried-but-patient vocal delivery. The other rock songs on the album don't quite hit this height, but all contain similar elements and thus maintain some of that original charm. What's perhaps most impressive about Iron Hero is their inclusion of a couple songs that stray from this formula just enough (and at the right moments) to really give the album a fuller feel than a straight-up rock record. "Sleepy Eyes," a mellow, bass-heavy post-rock instrumental that would make Tortoise proud, arrives just after the halfway mark to soothe any frayed nerves, and "Terms/Conditions" functions as a late game mix of that cooler aesthetic with the rock song tension that underpins the rest of the album. - Tiny Mix Tapes

Rating: 8.7 out of 10
From the moment the crystalline guitar licks cascade forth on the opening track, "Wearing A Wire" until the familiar refrain re-manifests itself (albeit in slightly altered form) on the closing number, "We Should Run While We Have The Chance," Iron Hero delivers a warm rush of beguiling ambiance that ripples with melodic afterthought...[They] create a richly layered sound that is driven by chiming guitars and wafting keyboard passages, all augmented by tightly subtle rhythms and wonderful fairy tale nuances (the vibraphone and bells create this effect). The result is a thoroughly immersive listening experience that worms its way into your inner ear with nary a struggle...In a day and age where the single seems to have risen from the grave and become the dominant form of relating music to the masses, Iron Hero have crafted a rare entity indeed; a pure album that requires a certain amount of investment on the listener's part. Those willing to take the time will be rewarded in full. - IGN.com