Band:	The Damned Things
Album:	Ironiclast
Style:	Heavy metal
Release date:	December 14, 2010
Guest review by:	omne metallum

01. Handbook For The Recently Deceased
02. Bad Blood
03. Friday Night (Going Down In Flames)
04. We've Got A Situation Here
05. Black Heart
06. A Great Reckoning
07. Little Darling
08. Ironiclast
09. Graverobber
10. The Blues Havin' Blues

It's rare to have a super group live up to the "super" part of their name; 2010 saw the debut release from The Damned Things, and Ironiclast would help the band not only live up to expectations but far exceed them. For a band that feature members from bands as diverse as Anthrax, Fall Out Boy and Every Time I Die, they make one hell of a cohesive whole.

The rock 'n' roll-infused metal flows through each song, sometimes by way of blues and other times through undiluted in-your-face metal. Ironiclast is a near perfect dose of good ol' fun metal for nine of the album's ten tracks.

The standout tracks offer themselves up on a platter for you, all ready to go and only needing you to press play. "Bad Blood" is a party anthem that brings hand claps back in fashion, "We've Got A Situation Here" is as good as its video is (if you haven't seen it, then look it up), while the crowning moment is "Little Darling", a bluesy affair that will become a classic upon first listen. They stand at the forefront of the other six quality songs that are just a hair or two short of these three.

The musicianship is top notch; unconstrained by the limitations imposed by their full-time bands, each member plays with a sense of freedom and fun that sees them do what they want rather than what they should. Ian, Caggiano and Trohman offer up classic rock-inspired metal on guitar that makes tracks like "Friday Night (Going Down In Flames)" need to be heard. Nevertheless, it is Buckley who benefits most from this freedom, allowing his voice to take several different approaches that don't fit any pre-conceived moulds that mean he can't show off his full range.

The album is well produced; as different as some tracks can be compared to the rest of the record, they feel like a natural and seamless fit with the rest of the album. "Little Darling" flows into "Ironiclast" like it's the most normal transition between two songs that sound nothing alike. Each song sounds vital and up front, with nobody treading on anyone else's toes to be heard. The songs can sound as soulful and powerful as the music is with the production helping not hindering this.

What is the one song I allude to that lets down the album? "Grave Robber" just sounds so pedestrian and standard compared to the excitement that surrounds it. It isn't a bad song, but it's one that seems to drag its feet while the album is a hive of activity. While the rest of the album sees the band take paths they wouldn't normally tread, "Grave Robber" seems like it stands at the crossroads and stays there rather than taking a unique route.

It's these rare moments of lightning in a bottle that show that supergroups can be more than vanity projects for those involved; usually too many cooks spoil the soup, but in this case, the blending of different and distinct flavours serves up a five star meal.