“Generation
Void” had been an elusive album of my pre-internet forays. Now Shadow Kingdom is
making it more adequately available, with some DVD footage thrown into the deal.
To be honest I
don’t think this is Iron Man’s finest moment – the sound is too polished,
vocalist Dan Michalak seems unsure on how to sing and the riffs of Al Morris III
sometimes wander about aimlessly. Thankfully the album has attributes that
elevates it beyond mediocre status. ‘Winds Of Change’, for instance, is
magnificent in its bluesy melancholia. And the groovy ‘King Of Kings’ reminds us
what a prime riffmeister Mr Morris is.
An effusive
use of acoustic guitars and a generally mellow tempo are the salient
characteristics of “Generation Void”. The album closes in a most unusual manner,
an instrumental track consisting of a drum solo, courtesy of Vic Tomaso. All in
all this is quite an atypical Iron Man album that nevertheless remains deeply
entrenched in the old-school Doom genre.
Despite its
shortcomings, still an essential item for Doom Metal aficionados.
