Iron Monkey – Spleen & Goad (Review)

Iron Monkey are sludge metal band from the UK and this is their fourth album.

2017 now seems a very long time ago, but that was when Iron Monkey returned to spread their sonic violence with 9-13. I didn’t think we’d hear from them again after so much time, but it shows what I know, as now Spleen & Goad is here to kick us in the teeth and rearrange our internal organs.

If you’re into your crushing sludge metal doomgroove, then this is where it’s at. Spleen & Goad gives us 54 minutes of rolling heaviness, with Iron Monkey dishing out punishment with impunity. The songs aren’t so much written as vomited forth as filthy eruptions of cruelty and hate.

Spleen & Goad is essentially a ball of anger and nastiness, held together with all of the sludge metal riffs, and ripe with splenetic vocals that spit, rage, and spew invective all over the shop. Iron Monkey kick out the jams with massive riffs, and this album is a testament to the ability of relentless sludge doom mayhem to be timeless in its appeal to fans of The Riff and The Heaviness.

Of course, like most bands these days, there’s pointless filler in the form of a an outro, but if you ignore this, then Iron Monkey have returned to break bones, and they will not be denied. Theirs is a simple formula that’s effective and addictive. Brute force riffs and massive heaviness; what’s not to like?

Check it out.