Review: “Eternal Suffering” by Iron Rule

For the past few years Riverside California has been a place no longer dominated by the Deathcore force of nature that is Suicide Silence with a collection of new arrivals making their presence felt. One of those bands is Iron Rule, a band who have found their sound in the space between Metallic Hardcore and Deathcore during a six year journey through abrasive sounds. You may also know them by the trail of the dead left in their wake with vocalist Daniel Lopez known for this time in Face Your Maker, guitarist Mike Monterone for his riffs in There May Be Blood and drummer Avi Block for his pummelling grooves in Atrocitvs. The quartet is rounded out by bassist Greg King who has no prior convictions to speak of and new EP “Eternal Suffering” is their fourth studio release in six years…

A genre tag can be misleading as the vast majority of bands these days blur the lines between sub-genres within the confines of a single track and Iron Rule are no different. Bruising opening cut “Trapped” is a fine example, the band bringing a Beatdown Deathcore riff into play before a fleeting whammy bar drop solo with Crossover Thrash roots, not to mention some Downtempo Deathcore groove and a few Slam inspired vocal moments. All of that is shoehorned into a 170 seconds of fierce intensity and weighty delivery that feels like a fridge was dropped from a twentieth floor apartment onto your skull. It’s not for the faint of heart or the weak of mind but will put a smile on the face of even the hardest of Metal heads because while it ain’t complicated, it sure is fun. Two step groove is offered to the King’s table with a satisfying crunch as “Mr. “Me Too”” hits hard, once again throwing sub-genres in a blender with the lid left off. The vocal layering is impressive with a shriller Hardcore bark put against Death growls to great affect, the message in the surprisingly thought provoking lyrics one that resonates. Going a couple of shades heavier “Taste Of Blood” hits like sledge hammer with more blood gargling Slam inspired vocal parts served alongside a healthy portion of riffs to put bounce in the mosh pit. Gang chants in the final third make for the scream-a-long moments when this gets taken to the stage and are very much the icing on the metaphorical cake.  Paying homage to one of their no doubt many influences Iron Rule have chosen to complete this collection with a cover of “Skynet” by The Acacia Strain. A more involved rendition, this one benefits from a higher tempo and some slick leads, the power and atmosphere of the original captured perfectly. All in all a mighty fine addition to the Iron Rule discography as well as a timely reminder of just how good this band are [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Trapped
2. Mr. “Me Too”
3. Taste Of Blood
4. Skynet (The Acacia Strain cover)

“Eternal Suffering” by Iron Rule is out 11th July 2025 and is available over at bandcamp