Any Old Iron: The Water 
Self Released
Stream / Download
Any Old Iron are something of an unknown quantity outside their native Sheffield, preferring to let their music do the talking rather than bombarding potential suitors with a barrage of social media content. New release, The Water, should be the record which helps establish their reputation far and wide.
While not exactly shunning the limelight, superficial research into Any Old Iron throws up little by way of information other than ‘The sound of a man being eaten alive by hyenas.’ However, their 2022 debut album, The End Is Nigh, every bit as powerful and foreboding as the title suggests, gave notice that this is a band of serious contenders. The Water carries on in similar vein, a striking slab of post punk aggression, calling to mind the malevolent intensity of early Killing Joke while remaining hugely energising and even danceable.
The wavering introductory electronic note, pounding bass and staccato guitar immediately set the listener on edge as the intro builds to a mighty climax before the chilling vocals kick in, all driven by regimented drums and incessant drone. You can almost sense the icy fingers of the tide dragging you under kicking and screaming as the tension builds, before the song comes to an abrupt stop and releases you from its clutches.
The Water isn’t a song for the feint-hearted, but Any Old Iron don’t simply bludgeon you with a barrage of noise, preferring to add layer upon layer as they demonstrate an underlying musical subtlety to their superficially elemental sound. If you like what you hear, make a point of checking out the album – you seriously won’t regret it.
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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