Review Summary: Damn it (I need to think of a summary)
Usually I don’t like supergroups. And by ‘usually’ I mean almost always. But when I heard about The Damned Things, a combination of members from Anthrax, Fall Out Boy, and Every Time I Die, I have to admit I was really excited. I’ve been a fan of ETID and FOB (I know, guilty pleasure band) for some time, and Anthrax are a classic thrash band that every metal fan respects, if not enjoys. The bands debut release Ironiclast was released on Tuesday, December 14th and I for one am underwhelmed.
The band’s essential sound is rock and roll. Not a whole lot of metal here, and not a whole lot of poppy-Fall Out Boy style stuff. I guess that shouldn’t be a huge surprise, but then again 4/6 of the band come from metal bands. My most immediate criticism of the record is the guitar work. Yes, there are some really great rock riffs, the tone of the guitars is great, and I know all the guitarist in the band can hold their own chops-wise, but there are THREE guitar players in this band and the songs could probably be played by one dude, maybe 2 at the most. I really wish they would have utilized all three guitar players to make the record have some more depth.
Secondly, I think the group didn’t fully utilize the awesomeness of vocalist Keith Buckley (Every Time I Die). Now, I don’t know if it was Keith’s decision to tone it down for the style of the band, or if it was a group decision, but in all honestly ETID fans hearing this will know Keith’s voice, and realize that this record is not a full representation of what he can do. His lyrics are also somewhat lacking, which I hate to say because I have always thought of Keith as one of the smartest and cleverest vocalists in metal.
Ironiclast on a whole teeters between “radio rock” and “diet metal”. It has its heavy parts, its catchy hooks, its sing-along choruses, but I think fans of any of the three bands that The Damned Things spawned from will find a reason or two why they do not approve. The Damned Things haven’t completely met my expectations of supergroups, but they haven’t completely changed my mind either.
