Review Summary: A little fun and passion can be oh so good...
In 1991, Scott Ian shocked the world by collaborating with Public Enemy, recording a new version of
Bring the Noise. Being the first to mix Metal and Hip-Hop, the song quickly changed the landscape of music and has been credited for influencing future bands like Rage Against the Machine, Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit to just name a few. Nearly two decades later Scott isn’t as daring as he was then but his new supergroup has surely sparked interest in the odd mixture of musicians. The Damned Things is a supergroup consisting of Every Time I Die vocalist Keith Buckley, Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano of Anthrax and John Trohman and Andy Hurley of Fall Out Boy. With the quintet consisting of three very different bands, would the poppier tendencies of FoB, the thrashier riffs of Anthrax or the chaotic metalcore of ETID dominate the final melting pot product?
In all, The Damned Things is a Rock outfit put together to create fun rock music, pulling the best talents from each of its members to create
Ironiclast, their first LP. Keith Buckley fits seamlessly as the frontman of the rock group, perfecting his passionate southern twang vocals that he’s been progressing with through the past few ETID records. Keith shows great range on the record and his vocal hooks are the cornerstone to most of the tracks from the soulful croons on
Black Heart and
Little Darling to the insanely catchy first single
We’ve Got a Situation Here. The band has openly stated major influences for the record from bands such as Thin Lizzy and Led Zeppelin which is demonstrated the most by their guitar work, handled by Scott, Rob and John. The guitar work on this record is very solid, many of the tracks are loaded with very bluesy hard rock riffs interspersed with some heavier and lighter moments while guitar solos are littered throughout the record, nearly a standard on each track. The highlight of the album, apart from the the outrageously catchy
We’ve Got a Situation Here, are the heavier tracks towards the end of the record.
Graverobber begins with thunderous down tuned guitars and arguably the most aggressive track on the record along with the title track. Overall,
Ironiclast is an entertaining rock experience.
A problem some may have with the record is that it’s very average in approach and execution. If you’re looking for an album to break barriers in a genre or something very technical, then you’re looking in the wrong place.
Ironiclast, for its 10 tracks and nearly 40 minute span, is a fun rock record that, if taken at face value, will keep the listener tapping their foot and singing along to the infectious chorus’s. The mixture of artists is intriguing but the band finds common ground and succeeds in mixing catchy hooks with bluesy riffs. The Damned Things may have looked sketchy on paper but have created a record that, while it isn’t overly complex, shows that having a little fun and passion can be oh so good.
