Record of the Week 16/6/2012

Record of the Week 16/6/2012.

Iron Witch – Single Malt.

Liking Black Sabbath has never been a bad thing. However recently it seems that sounding like Black Sabbath (and classic metal in general) has become the sort of thing that it is ‘cool’ for hardcore bands to do. This is not a problem when pulled off well, as demonstrated on Iron Witch’s demo/EP ‘Single Malt’. With a new 7” in the offing we thought it would be an ideal time for you to be introduced to UKHC’s latest lovers of leather trousers and long hair.

From the opening salvo of ‘A 45 To Pay The Rent’ with its sludgy mid-tempo riffs and mic shredding vocals you are compelled to listen. There is something hypnotic about the repeating guitar line that keeps you hooked until the end of song meltdown when full Sabbath-esque sludge is in effect. ‘Jailhouse’ (the EP’s shortest track at 3.50) is a more direct hardcore stomp that is slightly reminiscent of early BWP in the  opening half before  groovy, sped up final minute or so. Here it is once again the sound of classic metal you hear channelled through your speakers.

The title track ‘Single Malt’ is another snaking, hypnotic riff monster that you could well image being on the soundtrack to the start of the end of the world while ‘Booze Blues’ with its power violence aping feedback into is as close to the stylistic departure the EP gets, slower, less in your face but still heavy and full of doom. The closing track ‘The Cruelty of Mankind’ clocks in at over seven minutes and in many ways sums up the sound of the EP as a whole. Starting slow with sludgy riffs, a drum track that sounds like the kit is being bludgeoned to death and snarling vocals. It also highlights some of the weaknesses of the record. The production (especially of the vocals and drums) is too rough and low-fi  and there is a lack of variety shown in the music itself. Iron Witch only seem to be able to write one style of song, even if they do it very well.

Overall though the EP is well worth a listening. I very loosely categorised ‘Single Malt’ as a hardcore release but in reality it is only the vocals and tendency for mid-song breakdowns that bear the mark of that particular genre. The rest of the EP is pure, unadulterated metal. Which is never a bad thing.

FFO: Black Sabbath, Crossbreaker, leather trousers, riffs.

You can download ‘Single Malt’ and listen to the upcoming 7” here http://ironwitch.bandcamp.com/.

Patchx