For Those About to Squawk: Iron Monkey, Cursed Moon, Thy Serpent’s Cult

Happy Friday the 13th, suckas… Hope you fools don’t get chopped up by a hockey masked maniac.

Something none of us ever thought would happen, Iron Monkey has returned after an almost 20-year hiatus with 9-13 on Relapse. For those that don’t know, Iron Monkey is a UK sludge, doom hybrid that hit the scene in the mid-90’s and got into a bit of trouble with the cover to their awesome Our Problem. This record is angry and pissed, and… angry. The first thing to be noticed here are the vocals, they are SUPER nasty and present, so what’s up with the rest? Groovy, MONSTER sludge riffs rock the peck out and are in your face. Hearkening back to the days of Grief, Buzzov-en and Acid Bath, this is a thick, pummeling exercise in self loathing and meanness. Wasn’t expecting much, as some of these “reunions” really leave me flat, but this is KILLER. 8 Fucking Pecks.

I really didn’t know what to think about a band called Cursed Moon. I was thinking of some corpse paint clad ding dongs chillin’ in the woods with a Photoshopped full moon in the background. Well, it’s definitely… NOT that. This is a one-man band, industrial metal, or industrial with a metal tinge… that reeks of gothic new wave, and early 90’s industrial. This bird brain has a soft spot for both, so I gotta say, I pecking like this. Beware, the synth sounds and the overall tone of Rites Of Darkness are NOT modern in any way. This feels like stepping into some sort of coffin-shaped time machine and heading back to the early 80’s when Sisters Of Mercy and Fields Of Nephilim ruled the underground. I pecking dig it. Dye your hair black, grab that old Christian Death shirt and pump this… LOUD. 7 Fucking Pecks.

So, sometimes, I review stuff just so I can clown on it. At random, I picked Thy Serpent’s Cult and am pleasantly surprised. Supremacy Of Chaos is Brazilian death metal. To describe it any other way would just be… wrong. This is meat-and-potatoes death metal and is pretty good. There are catchy riffs and doesn’t bury the listener in too much “old school kvlt-isms.” My one complaint is the production here just sounds like super thin, or weak, there’s no real sack to this and I’m sure this band slays live, but the riffs here are busy (not too busy) and it’s just good solid death metal. 6 Fucking Pecks.

Also don’t forget that Decibel Metal and Beer Fest tickets are available… No, sadly no Hatebeak again… Well, there’s always next year. You can get your tickets here.