The much anticipated release of The Damned Things’ first LP, Ironiclast, has had many diehard metal fans stoked and I would venture to say it won’t disappoint. This somewhat unlikely collaboration includes Anthrax’s guitarists Rob Caggiano and Scott Ian, Every Time I Die’s front man Keith Buckley, and Fall Out Boy's guitarist Joe Trohman and drummer Andy Hurley. Despite The Damned Things being formed by musicians with relatively different stylistic backgrounds, the sound they achieve is seamless. While each member influences the overall sound, no one member dominates the group; the record manages to showcase each individual’s talent and skill.
The title track is a burst of muddy riffs and Buckley’s hard-hitting vocals, a sound that slams the listener with a wall of classic metal greatness. “We’ve Got a Situation Here” has a similar effect on the listener but pushes it even further – the tempo-changes and mosaic of stylistic influences make the song insanely gratifying for the metal-head’s ears. It is, without a doubt, the showstopper of the album. These tracks have the power to send a gust of wind through your hair, and you don’t necessarily need to be standing beside a bunch of towering Marshalls. I highly recommend it as a healthy replacement for your choice caffeinated beverage in the morning. I can see just the title track and “We’ve Got a Situation Here” alone stealing the hearts of metal fans everywhere – that is, after they get over the initial “What the hell?” reaction to ‘Fall Out Boy’ and the word ‘metal’ being used in the same sentence. (Give it a chance, I promise it is well worth it!)
There is a predominant blues influence throughout the record that arguably sets The Damned Things apart from other classic metal rock bands. This is a defining, distinctive element to their music style and contributes to the feeling that makes the band’s sound such cool boots. “Graverobber” and the aforementioned tracks incorporate subtle blues undertones while songs like “The Blues Havin’ Blues” brings the I-IV-V aspect further into the forefront. The track even utilizes classic female soul singers as back-up to Buckley’s hard rock vocals.
It is difficult to pick out tracks that are particularly deserving of mention from the album because all of them are awesome in their own right. Anyone would be hard-pressed to find an aspect of the record that warrants criticism or suggestions for improvement. The musicianship is exceptional, the style is original and stimulating for those that crave a new and exciting sound and the record is basically fun as hell to listen to.
Artist:
www.thedamnedthings.com/
www.myspace.com/thedamnedthings
Album:
Ironiclast is out now. Buy it here on Amazon .
