By Andrew Bansal
Based out of Los Angeles, Ironaut is a fledgling stoner rock group which comprises Erik Kluiber on bass and vocals, Patrick McHugh on guitar and Ivan Najor on drums. Having started out as an all-instrumental power trio and after playing a handful of shows in that incarnation, Ironaut added vocals to their sound, with Kluiber taking on the mantle himself, and performed live with success. In an attempt to recreate the same impact in the studio, Ironaut released their self-titled debut EP on November 19th 2015.
The 5-track, 26-minute effort starts with the delightfully slow and heavy ‘Horned Goat’, filled to the brim with riffs, grooves and solos, and Kluiber’s vocals sounding solid right from the outset. ‘Yellow King’ keeps the same qualities intact but picks up the pace to an extent, and is followed by the finest track this EP has to offer, ‘Acid Wash’ which boasts of catchy riffs and smoothly flowing transitions throughout. The EP then delves deep for its slowest, longest composition ‘Atomic Voyage’, complete with a flamenco-type guitar intro, and while other tracks on the EP satiate stoner/sludge metal lovers, ‘Atomic Voyage’ is right up the alley for doom fans in particular. In contrast, next comes the fastest, thrashiest offering ‘The Dead Look In My Eyes’, more in the vein of High On Fire, to bring an end to the EP.
From the perspective of someone who thoroughly enjoyed the band as an instrumental trio, it must be said that the vocal performance on this EP has exceeded expecations and is far better than what it has been in the few gigs the band has played in the leadup to this release, which only shows that Kluiber’s vocals are still very much developing, and he is still exploring this facet of his musicality through each live gig and studio take. The singing voice is very much along the lines of what fits in this sub-genre, and is executed well on these tracks. Patrick McHugh’s guitar work is very easy for heavy music lovers to enjoy, and Ivan Najor behind the drumkit locks in with Kluiber’s bass to dictate the rhythms and tempo excellently. Production-wise, the EP presents all layers to their fullest but importantly maintains a degree of rawness that suits the musical style and gives it an undeniable edge.
With their efforts on this self-titled debut EP, Ironaut have volunteered to cater to the Pabst-drinking hesher metal crowd, and have proved that they’re no slouches at it. In Ironaut, the Los Angeles stoner/sludge scene has a new representative, an entity that is already noteworthy but is only poised to get stronger with time.
Rating: 9/10
Listen to the entire EP for free here.
Release Date: November 19th 2015
Track Listing:
01. Horned Goat
02. Yellow King
03. Acid Wash
04. Atomic Voyage
05. The Dead Look In My Eyes
Ironaut links: facebook | twitter | instagram | bandcamp
If you like what you’ve read, support Metal Assault and buy us a drink: