Review Summary: How often can grindcore bands release an LP that stands out among mediocre albums of the same genre? The moment of truth has come.
Two-piece hardcore veterans Iron Lung have released yet another full throttle LP, and the group's intensity is still as vivid and violent as previous releases. Quite an accomplishment, one could say, considering how many hardcore bands have continued forward for years on end (as Iron Lung has) and have grown stale in their sound with the curse of time. Iron Lung, through some mystical secret, can prove themselves to be above these "unmentioned" bands. Perhaps by launching a furious 18-track LP, which can clock in at over twenty minutes and not only keep your ears pleased but also pull you in and allow you to see the true diversity and wonderful musicianship these two can create.
This new LP begins with three pounding tracks, each of them less than a minute in length. I would generally antagonize this, for reasons regarding what a new listener may be enticed to think: "just another short-song hardcore album". Even so, Iron Lung pulls it off quite well and without becoming too monotonous or repetitive, even in such a short time span.
As the album progresses, we are introduced to three tracks titled "Brutal Supremacy", I, II, and III. The first of this trinity opens with grooving drum work, building up gradually to a slow yet crazed climax that is a bit simplistic yet very ideal for an album of this sort. The second and third sections oppose the first by preferring a full-power grindcore style as opposed to the slower groove presented in the first part. These three songs are definitely stand outs on this LP.
The second side of the LP offers more short, distraught tracks, similar to the album's opening songs. This makes it seem as though the Brutal Supremacy tracks were a bit of a strange "interlude". Iron Lung quickly plows through several spastic, crazed songs, such as "Monolith" and the title track, and while they deliver a fast-paced powerviolence backdrop, they still maintain a tightly-knit sound and lay down even the fastest tracks with perfection.
I would venture to say that the last track of the album, clocking at two and a half minutes, allows the entire LP to take a darker turn. "Industry Endings" finishes off the album in a clean-cut manner, serving well as a slow-paced finale to what we could consider a horror film roller coaster of an album.
After listening to this axe-slinging craze we call Iron Lung perform 18 killer tracks, I was pondered the feasibility of a grindcore LP impressing someone of my taste. When it boils down to grindcore and/or powerviolence, I am aimed toward 7" vinyl. Short songs on a short record. I would generally look at LPs of this genre and even cringe at the thought of how devastatingly boring they would become after two listens. Needless to say, I have replayed "White Glove Test" an uncounted amount of times now, and it still satisfies me. If you are a grindcore fan in need of something fresh, give this one a listen.
