Dominance

Iron Man is one of the most underrated doom metal bands. What started as a Black Sabbath tribute band quickly ended up being a talented group with original material around guitarist Alfred Morris III who died earlier this year. Despite numerous line-up changes and being ignored by important labels, magazines and promoters, the band managed to release five full length records as well as three extended plays. Dominance is one of the latter and introduced new vocalist Dee Calhoun. This release also marked the beginning of the band's final chapter as this release would be followed by one more extended play and a final studio record shortly after.

Dominance proves how much talent this band has but also shows how underappreciated they are. The slow, precise and heavy guitar riffs are outstanding, the noisy rhythm section blends in perfectly and the unique vocals find the right mixture between melodic lines with a raw and throaty touch. The production sounds as if it had been recorded by a cell phone in a garage which gives the record an intriguing underground charm but doesn't do the song material justice. What we get here are three gloomy old school doom metal tracks as well as a short acoustic guitar interlude that shows Morris' massive talent.

Anyone who likes the music Black Sabbath made throughout the seventies should give this release in particular and the band in general a chance. Don't expect an uninspired copy though as Iron Man sounds much darker, gloomier and noisier than their idols. Iron Man might be history as we speak but it's never too late to discover a great band, so let there be doom.