Iron Monkey - Self-Titled / Our Problem
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Iron Monkey, we hardly knew ye. England’s answer to Eyehategod released two full-lengths, a self-titled debut and Our Problem, then broke up in 1999. Earache recently collected these records into a 2-CD set along with bonus tracks and extra liner notes.
Normally I have little patience with Eyehategod clones. But Iron Monkey had enough individuality and talent to convert me. Although they had the same general ingredients as Eyehategod — metal, punk, blues — they felt different. Instead of the sweltering American South, they channeled English misery: rainy weather, crap food, poor dental hygiene. Johnny Morrow’s scathing vocals added grit and desperation. (He died of a heart attack in 2002; it’s haunting to hear a dead man sing.) Even when laidback, the band sounded anxious. Its first album was rudimentary, but its second was delightful. The band had learned to play in time and construct actual songs. Our Problem suggests that had the band continued, it would have explored faster, punkier territory. Instead, it exited on an exhilaratingly depressing note. (Historical aside: these albums feature some of Andy Sneap’s earliest productions, long before he invented modern metal’s sterile sound.)
The best part of this reissue is the new liner notes. Guitarist Steve Watson recounts how the band was so poor, it could barely afford its own instruments. He also tells of Earache’s courtship, in which the label had to allay fears that Iron Monkey would have to tour with bands like Morbid Angel. His liner notes have much pathos and humility, and are a joy to read. It’s a shame that so many albums now lack proper liner notes. Back in the day, jazz albums got journalists to write essays. The backs of LP sleeves were perfect canvases for this art. Now we get Photoshop horrors on tiny CD booklets or nothing at all with MP3’s. Fenriz’ liner notes are why the last two Darkthrone albums are practically the only CD’s I’ve bought in the last few years. The way things are going, in five years none of us will buy CD’s.
Buy:
Amazon (CD)
eMusic (MP3)
Earache (US)
Earache (EU)
