Lupus Metallorum [Vinyl]

Seattle’s Old Iron is a great example of the variation that’s found its way into every shade of contemporary metal. On their newest album Lupus Metallorum (produced by Matt Bayles who recorded contemporary metal innovators Mastodon and Isis), they incorporate the plethora of approaches that made their debut LP Cordyceps memorable: chugging riffs locked to the bass drum; dissonant melodic leads; sparse, atmospheric interludes; the occasional pentatonic flourish; and walls and walls of power chords. What sets this album apart from the last one—and this band’s progression from the progression of most heavy bands—is that they’ve actually gotten more focused instead of more sprawling. The songs on Lupus Metallorum’s are half the length of the songs from the predecessor (with four more tracks to make the 40 minute running time 1 minute shorter than their 6 track debut). These songs emphasize urgency and punctuation where, for the most part, songs on the previous album emphasized atmosphere and texture.