Heavy metal band Sad Iron was formed 1979 in Hoorn, the Netherlands, by guitarist Bernard Rive. The band’s initial line-up was rounded out by Dirk Ooms (bass), Gerrit Soering (drums) and Jan Palenstijn (vocals). Following Sad Iron’s performance in a battle-of-the-bands competition, the audience unanimously agreed that they were among the Netherlands’ top metal acts. Shortly after, Sad Iron committed their first songs to vinyl, as part of the live split ‘Holland Heavy Metal Vol. 1’, which featured tracks from the band including ‘Sad Iron’, ‘Schoolgirls’ and ‘Thunder & Lightning’. Voted the best band of the evening, Sad Iron were awarded a day of studio time, which resulted in their full-length debut, ‘Total Damnation’! With new vocalist Herke van der Poel and, subsequently, new bassist Charles Heijnen, Sad Iron were ready for battle!As one of the first speed metal bands in the Netherlands (possibly the very first), Sad Iron were compared to likes of Raven and Exciter and helped trigger the birth of the New Wave of Dutch Heavy Metal!In 1985, Sad Iron entered the studio to record follow-up to ‘Total Damnation’. Entitled ‘The Antichrist’, the album would not see the light of day until many years later due to issues with various record labels, including bankruptcy. Following this misfortune, Sad Iron was put on the back burner, with the exception of some occasional live shows.Nothing more was heard from Sad Iron until 2000, when they played a highly successful reunion show at the Heavy Metal Maniacs Festival in Hoorn. Revitalised, the band embarked on the Dutch Steel Attack Tour with fellow Netherlands bands Vortex and Hammerhawk, which saw them perform at a variety of venues both in the Netherlands and abroad.In 2015, Sad Iron featured on the compilation album ‘Dutch Steel’, a project of renowned Dutch heavy metal journalist Robert Haagsma. Haagsma was also responsible for generating interest in the band’s second album, ‘The Antichrist’, which ultimately led to its release in 2016!‘The Antichrist’ was received to critical acclaim from, amongst other publications, the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, who referred to it as ‘a first-class feel-good album’. 2019 Sad Iron released their third album, Chapter II: The Deal
