Keelhaul - Ornamental Iron - 7

Labels: Hydra Head
Review by: Alex Deller

Two tracks of the noisecore tomfoolery that’s making Hydrahead so infamous these days. The A-side is instrumental, twisty-turny, Coalesce-style stuff, less metal, more math, yet still pretty darn heavy. Side B graces us with some pretty cool Black Flagish vocals, all exasperated and shouty rather than this label’s usual scream-bloody-murder fare. This side’s far better, especially the interlude which wind things down briefly with a droning guitar part. Far better than average and very far from being run-of-the-mill, though their CD on Cambodia Records would probably be a better place to start for those who’re unfamiliar with what Keelhaul have to offer.