Unsure where to begin with this album, I typed their name into Google to see what unusual facts it might return, and rather humorously the first think that sprung up (not literally) was an erection cream. In all seriousness though, given that so much care has clearly gone into the suave packaging I really, really wanted to like this album. Not only that, but from the accompanying blurb I was expecting this to be something a bit out of the ordinary. When you work through a pile of ten albums that all want to be the next Megadeth or Darkthrone you soon find yourself jumping at the chance to hear something with a little more originality. In all fairness that is precisely what I got, but in a way that just left me wishing for those more straightforward bands, instead of enjoying the break from it.
The press release makes a point of mentioning that this album is 70 minutes long; okay, it’s nice on one hand to feel like you are getting value for money, but sometimes less is more. The best albums are often those that don’t overstay their welcome and clock in at a short, snappy 50 – 60 minutes; and if you are going to draw it out any longer then make sure it’s not going to bore the listener into slumber, or in my case, clockwatching as though it were a Friday afternoon at the office. Okay, a yawn and subtle glance at the exit at 3PM is acceptable, but when you do so from the moment you step into work then you know you’re in for a looong day. Basically, you can get away with one or two dull moments in an album, but when you start off with what is possibly your most dreary track then it hardly fills the listener with much hope and confidence for things to come.
Don’t get me wrong, there are a scattering of gems hidden in this album, but you really better whip out the magnifying glass if you hope to find them among all the dirt and rubble. ‘The Oncoming Storm’ rages in with much more of a mighty swagger that has an Enslaved feel to it, and certainly lives up to its stormy namesake, while at the midway point there is a certain dark, ambient mood that seethes along creating the kind of atmosphere that I find is missing from the majority of this album. On ‘The Serpent Seeks Its Tail’ this is built upon with demonic whispers that are spat out in a rather alarming way, before the serenity is interrupted by a sudden and fleeting march. When ‘Jarnvidr Gallows’ comes plodding in I get the impression that it’s to be equally as tedious as the opener, although around the four minute mark it all erupts into a blackened frenzy that, if nothing else, shows a hint of promise for the future. I would certainly like to hear more of this kind of sound on future efforts. Sadly this doesn’t last long and soon snaps back into an aimless, maundering state as they trudge along entering into a more progressive terrain.
I can certainly see what they are attempting to do here, and when done right I am a real sucker for this kind of Paganic metal with lots of acoustic, organic flavours, but sadly this just fails on too many levels. There is a modicum of promise there, and to reiterate a previous point I would like to hear more of their blackened side; melancholy doesn’t have to mean lifeless and dreary, but in this case you wouldn’t think so, as lifeless is exactly how I’m left feeling after 70 minutes of this.
http://www.myspace.com/ironwoodband
http://www.ironwoodsound.com.au/
