Review

A Life Once Lost - Iron Gag

24.03.2008 | Cam | 0 Comments

Genre: Psychedelic/Metal/Southern Rock
For Fans Of: Lamb Of God – Maylene & The Sons Of Disaster - Down
Favourite Songs: Detest – All Teeth - Meth Mouth – Others Die
Running Time: 39:17
Year: 2007
Website Link: http://www.alifeoncelost.com
Myspace Link: http://www.myspace.com/alifeoncelost

Score: 93

Bang that fucking head…

REVIEW.

A Life Once Lost has been through a few stylistic changes during their career. From their earliest incarnation as Meshuggah worshipping kids to their brief stop over in Dillinger Escape Plan territory, ALOL arrived with a bang and their own sound with the release of 2005’s Hunter. Although Iron Gag isn’t as much of a drastic change compared to some of the band’s previous discs it is the most focused and cohesive collection of songs that have been released under the A Life Once Lost moniker.

Gone are the days of over the top guitar theatrics and poly-rhythms, instead the focus is on riffs, grooves and even a hint of melody… and no, I’m not talking about polished pop choruses, I’m referring to the dirty hooks that Pantera made so popular in the nineties. Lamb Of God vocalist Randy Blythe provided vocal direction and production on Iron Gag, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that this record is a cheap imitation of the Virginian metal mob, as ALOL have crafted their influences into a refreshingly unique sound.

Lead track (and Iron Gag’s first single) “Firewater Joyride” is a shining example of what can be achieved when a band puts their collective heads and decide to rock the fuck out. The guitar parts are something you’d expect to hear in a sleazy bar in the deep south (that’s a good thing by the way) and Robert Meadows vocals have more rock n roll swagger than most vocalists can muster in a lifetime.

“Detest” hits like a brick to the face, simple as that. The song kicks in all the right places and every lyric sounds like a battle cry, not to mention that the main riff will have you reaching for the beer bong within seconds of hearing it. Throw a dirty guitar solo into the mix and you’ve got a near flawless tune. The deliberate groove of “The Wanderer” is about as close as A Life Once Lost have come to penning a ballad, not that it’s cheesy and melodramatic but the raspy chorus vocals combined with the brooding intro and dare I say it, catchy guitars make you want to sing a long. To remind us that they are still capable of kicking our arse, ALOL follow up with “Worship”, one of the most unrelenting tracks on Iron Gag. To further highlight how far the band’s songwriting has come they succeed in sounding heavy without having to resort to any cliché riffing ideas.

CONCLUSION.

After repeated listens I can safely say that there isn’t a bad song on Iron Gag, which means a blow by blow account of each track isn’t possible… otherwise this review would be four pages long. “All Teeth” and “Meth Mouth” are both stand out tunes while “Masks” makes the most of the prevalent Lamb Of God influence. “Pigeonholed” breaks the record’s pace up nicely and “Others Die” uses a punishing groove to propel the song throughout its three minute duration. In a day and age where a lot bands run short of ideas and close their albums out with mediocre songs it’s good to see that ALOL included material as strong as “Silence” and “Ill Will” to close proceedings.

If anyone from A Life Once Lost reads this review, PLEASE TOUR AUSTRALIA. That is all…