Last Exit - Iron Path - Jazz - Vinyl

All-star quartet Last Exit garnered it's reputation with a string of unrelentingly forceful concert recordings in which it pushed the energy style of Free Jazz to it's limits. When the group went into the studio, though, a very different sort of album emerged - very different not only from all their other output, but even from anything else ever heard from anyone at that time. Because of that, when it was released in 1988, some fans and critics didn't know what to make of it. This was, in a way, understandable, because Iron Path was so far ahead of it's time that perhaps only a quarter of a century later, in 2015, is there an audience prepared for this album's pioneering hybrid of Abstract Heavy Metal, unsettling ambient music, and free improvisation. Back in 1988, "darkwave" hadn't yet been conceived, much less named and niched. The brutal sonic assault of Last Exit's live albums is not banished; it lurks below the surface on Iron Path, sometimes allowed to break through for a moment of stark contrast. But the unremitting density of texture heard in the quartet's shows is stripped back in favor of more subtle and varied textures, sculpting an atmosphere of moody brooding and sinister suspense. And, of course, the studio also allowed for far greater sonic clarity, putting these virtuoso players in a setting that shows off their masterful command of myriad timbres. In a world that has since become accustomed to hearing Earth, Pelican, Blut Aus Nord, Aphex Twin's Ambient Works sets, and Oöphoi, and artists such as Whote who explore the overlap between them, Iron Path can finally get it's due, and an audience schooled to appreciate what it offers. Sonny Sharrock, guitar; Peter Brötzmann, saxophone; Bill Laswell, bass; Ronald Shannon Jackson, drums.

All-star quartet Last Exit garnered it's reputation with a string of unrelentingly forceful concert recordings in which it pushed the energy style of Free Jazz to it's limits. When the group went into the studio, though, a very different sort of album emerged - very different not only from all their other output, but even from anything else ever heard from anyone at thattime. Because of that, when it was released in 1988, some fans and critics didn't know what to make of it. This was, in a way, understandable, because Iron Path was so far ahead of it's time that perhaps only a quarter of a century later, in 2015, is there an audience prepared for this album's pioneering hybrid of Abstract Heavy Metal, unsettling ambient music, and free improvisation. Back in 1988, "darkwave" hadn't yet been conceived, much less named and niched. The brutal sonic assault of Last Exit's live albums is not banished; it lurks below the surface on Iron Path, sometimes allowed to break through for a moment of stark contrast. But the unremitting density of texture heard in the quartet's shows is stripped back in favor of more subtle and varied textures, sculpting an atmosphere of moody brooding and sinister suspense. And, of course, the studio also allowed for far greater sonic clarity, putting these virtuoso players in a setting that shows off their masterful command of myriad timbres. In a world that has since become accustomed to hearing Earth, Pelican, Blut Aus Nord, Aphex Twin's Ambient Works sets, and Oﾔphoi, and artists such as Whote who explore the overlap between them, Iron Path can finally get it's due, and an audience schooled toappreciate what it offers. Sonny Sharrock, guitar; Peter Brﾔtzmann, saxophone; Bill Laswell, bass; Ronald Shannon Jackson, drums.

Performer	Last Exit
Music genre	Jazz
Music subgenre	Free Jazz
Media format	LP
Original release date	1988
Language	English
Is collectible	N
Has parental advisory label	N
Number of discs	1
Track listing	A1. Prayer, A2. Iron Path, A3. the Black Bat, A4. Marked for Death, A5. the Fire Drum, B1. Detonator, B2. Sand Dancer, B3. Cut and Run, B4. Eye for An Eye, B5. Devil's Rain
Record label	Esp Disk LTD.
Track name	Prayer, Iron Path, The Black Bat (For Aki Ikuta), Marked For Death, The Fire Drum, Detonator, Sand Dancer, Cut And Run, Eye For An Eye, Devil's Rain
Music media format	Vinyl Record
Is edited	N
Is enhanced	N