By: Ernesto Aguilar
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 25/05/2018 (Digital)
Label: Shadow Kingdom Records
"Excalibur"
is going to win over a lot of classic doom fanatics. Iron Void should be on the
radar of the scene for a revivalism that it owns wholly and proudly.
“Excalibur” CS//CD//DD//LP track listing:
1). Dragon’s Breath
2). The Coming of a King
3). Lancelot of the Lake
4). Forbidden Love
5). Enemy Within
6). The Grail Quest
7). A Dream to Some, A Nightmare to Others
8). The Death of Arthur
9). Avalon
The Review:
Veteran
doom peddlers Iron
Void have had plenty of fits and starts over their career. After
forming in 1998, the band disbanded for a decade before roaring back with a
vengeance, dropping 2010's "Spell of
Ruin," 2014's "Iron Void"
and "Doomsday" in 2015. Now
at their creative peak, Shadow Kingdom Records will issue the European
vinyl of "Excalibur," Iron Void's
Arthurian themed nine-song release tracking at just over 45 minutes.
Vinyl
has been the financial shot in the arm to the music industry that few ever
expected to make the comeback it has. Partially such success can be credited to
bands like Iron
Void. "Excalibur"
offers rich, earthy sonics that seem made for wax. As the LP kicks off with
"Dragon's Breath," Iron Void
is inescapably catchy as it is dense. The band is also deceptively elegant in
how its songs are constructed; the Sabbathesque "The Coming of A King" boasts a holistic duty to the story it's
telling, while not breaking the power of the song itself, its guitar or rhythm
section. Thus, lyrics inject themselves into just the right points, while not
interfering with the structure of the cut. You hear similar instances on "Forbidden Love" as well.
Those
who love fantasy in metal are going to appreciate the story immensely. Without
spoiling anything, just know that Iron Void set out and succeed at telling an
effecting tale. The vocals throughout are quintessential doom and even
transcendent at turns. As the album builds, it is impossible not to be swept up
in how massive the sound comes across.
In
addition, what doom and sludge devotees may most appreciate with "Excalibur" is its fidelity to
providing a new varnish to classic doom in the vein of Saint Vitus, Pentagram
and the like. As you know, there's been a major renaissance in the old-school
sound of black metal and death metal, hastened surely by the number of
derivative bands in more modern takes on these subgenres. Doom, stoner and
sludge undoubtedly have these bands as well – The Sword may have been the most
popular and prescient of the revamp – and Iron Void stakes its flag admirably. Even
songs like "Enemy Within,"
with clear influences from "Electric
Funeral," feel rejuvenated and original. Iron Void deserve a lot of
credit for having the courage to make an album that is inevitably going to draw
tons of comparisons, yet doing so in a way that feels like a modern makeover of
doom metal. Steve Wilson's riffs are heavy, Iron Void's lyrical themes are
solidly mystical and medieval, and its ultra-thick drums by Richard Maw and
bass by Jonathan "Sealey" Seale compose a ridiculously good
foundation for it all.
"Excalibur" is going to win over a
lot of classic doom fanatics. Iron Void should be on the radar of the scene
for a revivalism that it owns wholly and proudly.
“Excalibur” is available here
