Iron Monkey: 9-13

There's nothing quite as cool as a crunchy guitar riff and Iron Monkey has tons of them. This album, the band's first since the mid-1990s, not only picks up where they left off, but may even have improved them along the way. The band was always angry and aggressive—and this album is still both of those things—but there's an extra layer of nihilism and despair on this one. Every track was designed to destroy. Just listen to Jim Rusby's guitar playing. It winds up the tension in ways that never let up. Tracks like "The Rope" are even slightly claustrophic in that the guitar just winds up the tension without any sense of relief. In my hearing, Rusby has a knack for driving things forward just slightly ahead of the beat. This is not a bad thing. The band was ahead of the curve in terms of sludge metal and this album shows why. The music is exciting and claustrophobic at the same time, a balance that few attempt let alone achieve. I really liked "The Rope" and "Toadcrucifier-R.I.P.P.E.R" but there's no reason to skip tracks like "Crown of Electrodes" and "9-13." Fans of Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard, Eyehategod, and Weedeater should like the new Iron Monkey. Fans of sludge already know this is a winner. The band's current lineup is Jim Rusby (guitars and vocals), Steve Watson (bass), and newcomer Scott Briggs (drums).

Track Listing:
1. Crown of Electrodes
2. OmegaMangler
3. 9-13
4. Toadcrucifier-R.I.P.P.E.R
5. Destroyer
6. Mortarhex
7. The Rope
8. Doomsday Impulse Multiplier
9. Moreland St. Hammervortex

Added: December 12th 2017
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 1324
Language: english

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