Dan Michalak (vocals)
Alfred Morris III (guitar)
Larry Brown (bass)
Gary Isom (drums) [King Valley, Nitroseed, Pentagram, Spirit Caravan, Unorthodox, Valkyrie, Wretched]
Iron Man was formed in 1988 as a Black Sabbath tribute band. They soon developed their own sound,
adding in more contemporary touches but always keeping that tasty Sabbathy guitar sound. Their first
vocalist was Rob Levey, now the organizer of the annual Stoner Hands of Doom Festival in the U.S.
Released in 1994, ‘The Passage’ was Iron Man’s second album, and it’s a classic of American old-school doom. The songs are dominated by new singer Dan Michalak’s clean, somewhat theatrical vocals that are reminiscent of the NWOBHM. Topics range from the social criticism of ‘Unjust Reform’ to the anti-war anthem ‘End of the World.’ Alfred Morris III’s guitar work is reminiscent of that found on Sabbath’s ‘Master of Reality,’ in tone, and he steps out for the occasional excellent guitar solo. The rhythm section is more up-tempo than what we usually expect from early Sabbath, anchored by Larry Brown on bass and Gary Isom on drums.
Iron Man is in some ways typical of the Maryland doom scene from which they come. They have traded members with other local bands: Gary Isom is now in Spirit Caravan; earlier drummer Ronnie Kalimon is now in Internal Void. Also typical is the sporadic album output; only 3 albums since their debut in 1993. Their most recent album, 1999’s ‘Generation Void’ admirably carries on the sound pioneered on ‘The Passage.’
