- Iron Eagle
- Audio Nasty
- Goregrind/Synth
- UK
- 2018
- 9/10
It’s been a while since I’ve heard some good punk influenced death metal. Deathgrind, grindcore, whatever you want to call this, It’s pretty fucking rad and definitely some dirty shit through and through. It’s not as simple as you’d expect though, with many tasty treats hidden beneath a repulsive outer layer. The name is based on an old movie, Iron Eagle, if that gives you any insight into their more playful influences, humor and old films have always been effective within the genre.
Digging the use of the sample from Terminator, I love the overall presentation here. It’s almost blackened in it’s rawness. It might come across as bland to some but I really enjoy the atmosphere the mixing provides. It’s a very punk and DIY attitude towards the recording and production. There’s killer synth parts that really bring a lot of variation to the record, often accompanied by melodic guitar-work. It’s a very effective and interesting form of build up that pays off with a load of loose spewing we’ve come to expect from goregrind.
About halfway through the record on “Monsters Of The Weak”, there’s this sudden music drop with a rush of drums entering and a shreddy kind of melodeath riff. It’s really surprising what you can find in here. It never sounds too demanding either, you put in on repeat and just check in and out when things catch your ear. It’s just catchy enough in that Cannibal Corpse kind of way.
Another cover job by Luke Oram, who is very prolific in the metal scene right now. I’ve covered many albums featuring his work at this point, so just check out his instagram. Having previously done a lot of fantasy and scifi, here he’s going for a more classic horror angle, showing his diversity as an artist. I love the way the background figures blur and the photorealistic faces. the coloring and overall vibe is 80’s movies like The Warriors and John Carpenter flicks.
There’s this sense of the Evil Dead about this record as well. There’s a campiness to some of the gore that I find charming. The appropriate use of samples contributes to this. Samples are something I’ve mentioned in the past that can be used well or also shitty, stoner doom often does it well, so does a lot of deathgrind stuff. They use it more in a way where it’s a collage of sounds and ideas that contribute to the theme or atmosphere.
The second to last track, “Cuntryphile” is a really good sampling of their slower more hardcore style. There’s also a buzzsaw guitar tone they utilize with restraint, made me think of Broken/Downward Spiral era Nine Inch Nails. I initially wasn’t too keen on this record but I gave it a few days and a few listens, and the more things I discover that elevate it. They have a dungeon synth kind of vibe sometimes, it’s a bit of a centerpiece with a reprise later. I’m digging what is there and I’d totally be willing to go down the road of synthing the whole damn thing up. I’m always going to enjoy those cosmic tastes that the keys provide.
Overall a solid grind release that might scratch that itch for something more alternative, if you enjoy a bit of metallic hardcore or old school Cattle Decap, then this could be your new favorite album. It’s a personal favorite for me but it isn’t exactly the most accessible record out there, with the combination of two niche genres. Give it a whirl even if you’re a metalhead unfamiliar with grind/crust stuff. This would make a good entry point because of how much of the death metal is at their core.
9/10
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