Dogs of Delphi-Irons in the Fire

Self-Release/Independent
2013

Based in Kansas City Missouri, whose pro football team the Chiefs are very likely to remain undefeated after they destroy my hometown (not so) pro team today, the Browns (especially when it comes to our anemic and down-right offensive offense!), let me introduce all of  you to the band Dogs of Delphi. This real deal, raw, ravenous and ready to strike band is not only heavier then King Kong's (big and hairy) testicles, but their demeanor is even nastier then damn stinky ape! Dogs of Delphi, with what I expect is their debut-recording, offer up (for your listening pleasure of course!) 5-tracks of unapologetic metal. This mid-west act is every bit what you'd expect based not only upon their cool moniker and the EP's gripping title, but also the effective black and white art-work that dons this EP! This five-track release opens strong with the cutting "Voice's of the Sky" and like a mean and vicious junk yard dog, whose gone rabid and has developed a taste for human flesh, it sinks it's blood-craved teeth into you and just doesn't let go!  Not even the album's closing number, which in this case is the gut-punching title-cut "Irons in the Fire", offers relief from it's trap-jaw so don't bother saying any prayers or begging for mercy. Long after this one is (technically) over your head is still going to be rattling from all of the meaty riffs and you'll be wondering where that mack-truck is that just ran you over! Now, usually I try to steer clear of a band's self-penned description. But, in the case of the Kansas City act it is actually a fairly spot-on description. As such it would be hard for me to argue against such a fact as the following. In a nutshell, Dogs of Delphi are said to be what you would get when you combine the three bands Black Sabbath, Clutch and Corrosion of Conformity into one volatile collective. Alright, you've got me as the "volatile collective" part I added myself. The thing is it's all too real and this band's sonic destruction is downright dangerous! So, this one sure does seem to be a combination of all three (Black Sabbath, Clutch and Corrosion of Conformity) with the Clutch part having everything to do with the sound & style of lead singer Adam Vinck. As he has the same kind of gnarly vocal delivery that a younger Neil Fallon did, which is f**king wicked friends, it's easy enough to draw a line between Dogs of Delphi and Clutch. Beyond that yes, sure enough there are those definite pieces/parts of both of the (other two) previously mentioned bands (Black Sabbath and Corrosion of Conformity). But, hold on a minute or two as we check out some of the other groups that spring to mind when you're talking about Dogs of Delphi. There's quite a bit of  anything/everything that Phil Anselmo had/still has to offer the heavy metal community.  This four-piece recalls the likes of Pantera, Superjoint Ritual and Down and in this case that's far from a bad thing! It's simply that Dogs of Delphi has more the enough substance to keep them interesting. With a guitarist like Todd James on hand, who keeps himself quite busy by laying down groove-heavy riffs (with the emphasis on HEAVY!), there does seem to be a tiny bit of (let's hold off on the psychedelic please and, in it's place, how about we try it with a bit more punk fellas?) Monster Magnet. Well, there's that and then (and I'm not sure why it was that I came away with this one) I heard the familiar rumblings of the mighty Motörhead in between Dogs of Delphi's riffs. Why it is that bands like this always bring me back to Lemmy and company I just don't know. Maybe it's a genetic defect on my part?. Either way there are also a lot worse things in life then being compared to a band like the one Lemmy fronts! On subsequent listens (as this one DEMANDED that I listen to it a half dozen or so times!) I came away with the impression that Dogs of Delphi could be what an alternate universe version of Motörhead would sound like if their biggest influences had been not only bands like Black Sabbath, C.O.C. and Clutch, but also "No Life 'til Leather" era Metallica! All of that just goes to show the diversity of this Kansas City collective and how "Irons in the Fire" is a beast of an EP!  Well, that and then it shows that my mind never likes to stay in one place for too long. I will chalk that one up to all the years of headbanging and thrashing out as it would explain the scrambled egg brains of mine! And hey, Dogs of Delphi, which is filled out by the pair of  bassist Michael Christopher (formerly of Primer 55) and drummer Jason Byrd (formerly of Cherry Wench with Todd James), might not helped me any with there monstrous riffs, but you are not going to hear me complain! Maybe the group's not a well-known commodity right now, but if they keep on cranking out this kind of ball-crushing, heavy on the groove and southern fried for extra crunchiness material then that will change soon enough. Be sure to clear out the runway for this Kansas City collective when you do secure a copy of this EP. Because let me tell you, when they come down to land these 5-tracks it's going to make one hell of a heavy metal explosion and leave layers upon layers of carnage everywhere! You can snag a copy of this one on iTunes, Amazon and other sources that deal in all things digital and all things "hotter then hell and capable of drop-kicking the devil's ass all the way to heaven" metal!