By Gruesome Greg
I’m not a big fan of bands with overt drug references in their names. I mean, Weedeater is pure genius, Bongzilla’s not bad, but it’s all downhill from there. That being said, Ironweed somehow works, taking one of the most over-used words in (dorky) metal, and adding weed. You know what they say… Just add weed, right?
That being said, this isn’t your typical stoner/downer band. There’s a little more depth here, more substance(s). Their sludgy hardcore shows shades of Kylesa, but with a little more dirt, a bit more fuzz. “Enduring Snakes” has the math-metal slither of a Keelhaul, but with a hard rock bite. “And the New Slaves” whips a masterful sludge-metal riff into shape, with some wailing vocals flying high again over a mountain of impressive drum fills—including a late-song solo. “Awaken” sorta has a power metal chorus—to say nothing of the vocals—but without all the dragons ‘n shit. It redeems itself with some slow, heavy passages, however. “Heavy Crowns” is heavy, indeed, stop-start riffing a-plenty. “A Graceful Death” ends this World on a bit of a downer, Audioslave alt-rock with a one-man-gang backing vocal on the chorus.
Despite their cliched name, this band doesn’t fit into a neat little box. I gotta say, Your World of Tomorrow isn’t a bad place to be.
