Iron Monkey - 9-13 album review

Nottingham’s nihilistic legends make a partial return

Cover art for Iron Monkey - 9-13 album

You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

Over their short but significant existence Iron Monkey released some of the most vile, nihilistic sludge metal in history. Combining Sabbath-sourced doom with grim crustpunk and lacing it with the venomous vocals of Johnny Morrow, who spat cryptic, Burroughsian gutter-poetry, Iron Monkey were Britain’s answer to Eyehategod. A cult band in every sense, they played cider-stained backrooms to handfuls of punters and even as their notoriety spread, they didn’t reap the rewards from their 1996 self-titled EP and 1998’s Our Problem LP prior to their 1999 split.

The tragic passing of Johnny in 2002 put an end to the possibility of a reunion… or so everyone thought. Rather unexpectedly, we now find ourselves staring down the barrel of a new Iron Monkey record, to the disgust of some and the intrigue of others. Written by founding members Jim Rushby (guitars, vocals) and Steve Watson (bass) with Chaos UK drummer Brigg replacing Justin Greaves – whose absence speaks volumes – this incarnation have set themselves an unenviable task of trying to compete with a cherished discography.

The motivations behind creating an Iron Monkey album without essential figures who made the band a raw, vital force is unclear. Nevertheless, 9-13 does nothing to damage the band’s legacy. It’s a solid sludge LP, heavy on the roiling riffs synonymous with their debut. One glaring issue, however, is that Jim’s vocals are grating when he tries too hard to mimic Johnny’s animalistic ire, particularly so on weaker songs such as Destroyer and The Rope. Another problem is that the songwriting isn’t as sharp or memorable overall as you’d hope for. Had it been released under a different moniker, criticism would only be aimed at the filler-damaged latter half of 9-13, which lacks the intensity of the earlier tracks. For an album released under the Iron Monkey banner, though, this trio has to be held to a higher standard. Sadly, even though the mechanics are there – the power groove evident on OmegaMangler, the filthpunk barrage direct on Toadcrucifier - R.I.P.PER – the tortured spirit is absent from the band, and that’s what made them truly inimitable.

Latest in
Foreigner at the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 2024
Foreigner will complete their Historic Farewell Tour with four different singers – and one of them has recorded Spanish versions of their hits
The cover of Classic Rock 339, featuring Pink Floyd
"It's the father and mother of The Dark Side Of The Moon!": The full inside story of Pink Floyd's Live At Pompeii - only in the new issue of Classic Rock
Asia
"The haters won’t stop us from doing what we do": Geoff Downes on Asia's new lineup and the band's future plans
Fleetwood Mac group portrait
"The soundtrack to the greatest rock'n'roll soap opera ever": The mightiest Fleetwood Mac line-up albums in one handy box
Pete Townshend - The Studio Albums cover art
"This collection embodies both the best and worst of Townshend the artist and arch conceptualist": An overview of the solo career of Pete Townshend, the man who never meant to have a solo career
Linkin Park 2024
Linkin Park launch "the best song we've ever made" Up From The Bottom
Latest in Review
Fleetwood Mac group portrait
"The soundtrack to the greatest rock'n'roll soap opera ever": The mightiest Fleetwood Mac line-up albums in one handy box
Pete Townshend - The Studio Albums cover art
"This collection embodies both the best and worst of Townshend the artist and arch conceptualist": An overview of the solo career of Pete Townshend, the man who never meant to have a solo career
The Horrors
Ghouls Aloud: The Horrors come back from the dead with "a dazzling nocturnal spectacle of sombre reflections and oozing catharsis"
/news/the-darkness-i-hate-myself
"When the storm clouds clear, the band’s innate pop sensibilities shine as brightly as ever": In a world of bread-and-butter rock bands, The Darkness remain the toast of the town
Sex Pistols at the RAH
"Open the dance floor, you’ll never get to do it again." Forget John Lydon's bitter and boring "karaoke" jibes, with Frank Carter up front, the Sex Pistols sound like the world's greatest punk band once more
Arch Enemy posing in an alleyway
Arch Enemy promised they'd throw out the rule book for Blood Dynasty. They didn't go quite that far, but this is the boldest album of the Alissa White-Gluz era - and it kicks ass