IRON MONKEY — Iron Monkey (review)

Album · 1997 · Sludge Metal

4/5 · 2024-05-07
siLLy puPPy

While sludge metal had been a totally American thing first emerging from the Washington state scene and then picked up and developed in the state of Louisiana, by the early 90s it was slowly trickling across the pond and picked up by bands looking for a way to escape the speed traps of the ever-increasing tempos of neoclassical and death metal which pretty much dictated the majority of metal styles of the early 90s. One of the first regions to pick up on the sludge scene was Nottingham, England, first with Fudge Tunnel and then followed by IRON MONKEY who released two excessively caustic yet well regarded albums in the latter half of the decade. While the band only existed for five years from 1994 - 1999 in the first run, founding members guitarist Jim Rushby and bassist / guitarist Steve Watson reformed the band in 2017.

With the original lineup of Justin Greaves (drums, ex-Bradworthy), Johnny Morrow (vocals), Jim Rushby (guitar, ex-Ironside, Wartorn), Steve Watson (guitar, ex-Cerebral Fix) and Doug Dalziel (bass, ex-Ironside), IRON MONKEY recorded its lo-fo self-titled debut on an eight track in 1996 before catching the attention of Earache records which released it as a bonafide album in 1997. Inspired by the heaviest and filthiest sludge metal bands that came before, IRON MONKEY was majorly influenced by not only Eyehategod, Crowbar, early Corrsion of Conformity and Grief but also adopted the sludge metal tendency of hybridizing doom metal into its heavily distorted cacophonous procession through slow cantankerous tracks that offered subject matter as bleak as the collage art on the album cover depicts.

Dripping in heavy sludge riffing with more distorted feedback than should be allowed by law, IRON MONKEY’s debut is a powerhouse of pure unadulterated sludge metal showcasing the style in its most raw and primeval form before the new strains of atmospheric sludge metal a la Cult of Luna and Isis steered it in a more more progressive direction. While the band’s second release “Our Problem” featured more grooves in the vein of stoner and Southern metal boogie rock, this debut eschews any sort of melodic underbelly and only exercises the most extreme form of sludgy metal riffing that offers Black Sabbath inspired doom with serious amplifier abuse with the album culminating in the heaviest display of feedback known to man on the closing moments of “Shrimp Fist.” While the original release featured only six tracks at about 38 minutes of playing time, the later releases featured a sludged out remaking of Black Sabbath’s classic “Cornucopia” which also offers one of the most extreme feedback fuzz outros ever.

In addition to the barbaric amplification that must’ve destroyed more than an amp or two, the highlight is the savage vocal display of John Paul Morrow whose violent screams are the lyrical equivalent of fingernails on chalkboards and the lo-fi production offers the same filthy murk that early black metal had utilized to their advantage. The slow undulating doom metal riffs alternate with faster mid-tempo sludgery in the vein of Eyehategod and Grief but despite the obvious slight degree of separation from the sludge metal acts that preceded, IRON MONKEY offered a more pungent and violent form of the musical style that still to this day sounds like the pinnacle of the heaviest form of sludge. The addition of the excess feedback that squeaks, squeals and shrieks randomly throughout the album’s run is like candy for extreme metal enthusiasts. The band’s debut is the real deal and the one i prefer most even though the sophomore release has its own distinct charm.

On a personal note, IRON MONKEY was my gateway drug into the greater world of sludge metal and totally by chance. I simply loved the grim artwork and took a chance and feel for its raw grime upon first listen. If you wish to purchase IRON MONKEY’s debut as well as “Our Problem,” the most highly recommended way is on the combo pack of the 2009 compilation “Our Problem / Iron Monkey” which features both albums in their entirely as well as several bonus tracks for each albums and well worth it because the bonus tracks are every bit as dynamic as the albums themselves. As far as i’m concerned, IRON MONKEY’s debut is the pinnacle of the most extreme expressions of 90s sludge metal and remains one of my faves in the since diversified subgenre that splintered off the hardcore punk and doom metal hybridization wagon way back in the 1980s.