Any Old Iron: Holdout
Self Released
Download / Stream
Sheffield’s Any Old Iron follow up The Water with another thrilling punk / rock offering – and Holdout doesn’t disappoint.
The thunderous opening chords give way to brooding, jagged stabs of guitar which set the tone in typically unnerving Any Old Iron fashion, and there’s no let up from here on in. Brutally hammered drums, pounding bass and insistent, authentic punk vocals all drenched in excitable riffage make for a powerful and breathless beast of a record.
The overall effect is one of adrenaline-fuelled high anxiety, with vocals reminiscent of Mensi / Malcolm Owen at their most intense, mixed with a hint of Mark E inflection, to create a sound which would feel as much at home in ’79 as it does in ’24 (in a really good way). Holdout is the harrowing tale of a man who continued to fight for his country long after peace is declared, and captures the inherent tension, brutality and tragedy superbly;
“They unleashed waves of thunder
Burned cities to the ground
I’ll carry out my duty
Won’t put my rifle down.”
Despite being capable of producing a splendidly cacophonous barrage of sound, Any Old Iron consistently demonstrate a pleasing depth of both of lyricism and musicality not always associated with bands of a similar ilk. A desire to tell a story rather than merely resorting to sloganeering, and an understanding that sheer volume doesn’t compensate for lack of melody, serve the band well. It sounds like a simple formula, but when it all comes together like this, the result is quite exhilarating.
Any Old Iron Linktree
All words by Robin Boardman. More writing from Robin for Louder Than War can be found at his author’s archive.
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