It’s been a country minute since I’ve reviewed an album from the good folks at Dying Victims Productions. The German boutique label always manages to put out a handful of releases a year that catch my attention; feel free to read reviews of such here. The latest of these noteworthy releases is the debut full length from Australian metalpunk maniacs, Ironhawk, entitled Ritual of the Warpath. Not to be confused with the Chicago based 80s power metal band of the same name, whose sole EP goes for an absurd amount of money, this Ironhawk bows at the altar of filth, speed, and darkness.
Whereas most bands in this vein sound either blatantly like Motörhead or Venom, Ironhawk combines the aesthetic of both, as well as facets from various other pioneering 80s releases that blurred the line between metal and punk. Imagine a group of rowdy crust punks got together for an evening of chugging whiskey and snorting blow. The soundtrack to the debauchery was Bathory’s debut, Discharge’s Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing, and Amebix’s Arise. Following this all-nighter, one of the punks exclaims, “Hey, let’s record our own album!” Ritual of the Warpath is THAT album.
Right off the bat, this album establishes itself as a fast and ferocious beast, thanks to the dark, murky riffs and infernal lo-fi production of the opening “The Final Crusade”. This cut, as well as “Sanctimony” and “Doomsday Rider”, rely heavily on the Bathory debut formula: A cacophonous symphony of grimy riffs, scorching vocals, and neck snapping drums. This is always a good thing. On the flip side of this are the more attitude driven tracks, drawing from classic punk and the unholiest bowels of rock n’ roll. “Signal to Oblivion” and “Dark Age” prove to be hooky despite their crusty insanity, while the nasty “Into the Circle” channels Motörhead at their fiercest.
Because of the nature of this release, there aren’t any creative curveballs aside from the ones you’d expect from a band of this nature. For example, there’s the obligatory slow, doomy, monolith of evil Venom metal in “Eternal Winter”, whose lineage can be traced back to “In League with Satan”, “7 Gates of Hell”, etc. My choice cut, “Escape from the Void”, is pure old school black metal that boasts raw riffing and diabolical atmosphere. And then there’s the closing title track, which shockingly is an instrumental. It’s a ballsy, yet wise decision, as “Ritual of the Warpath” relies more on primal force than proper musicianship (leave that to the prog nerds).
With their wings spread and instruments of destruction ready to fire, Ironhawk have proudly unleashed their warpath upon the unsuspecting public. Ritual doesn’t contribute anything new creatively to the metalpunk pantheon, but it also comes off as a cut above the here today, gone tomorrow bands we’ve seen so often in this realm. I’m hoping for the sake of all things fast and angry they don’t fall into this category, but as I alluded in the beginning, Dying Victims knows how to pick ’em! Can I get an, “Up the punx?!”
7 out of 10
Label: Dying Victims Productions
Genre: Black/Speed Metal/Punk
For fans of: Bathory, Venom, Toxic Holocaust