In the current state of bands concentrating on “fast and dirty rock ‘n’ roll”, it’s really hard not to compare them to Motorhead. Here, Iron Bastards are a three piece, use a similar instrument set up and have a similar raspy vocal style. What I will say about songs like ‘The Code Is Red’ is the great recording of the bass lines, they are rather busy and bring out more from the track than the clear passion alone that’s obvious to any listener.
Once you get straight to the music, it is very heavy blues, similar to old, but more relevant to more recent Motorhead for me. They are not going to for the classic sound, no matter how much the accompanying blurb with the disc says it is! If I were critical it that the drums are quite basic, the bass is top drawer though and far more dynamic than even the guitars. The vocals sit where you would expect them to be, not overly stretched but strong enough to command attention.
Unfortunately, there’s not much more to say, it’s a very simple album with clear influences and a positive delivery. It’s not going to slap you in the face with adversity, but it may just bitch slap you a little to wake you up and appreciate where some of the music we love comes from.
(7/10 Paul Maddison)
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