History Iron Man was a member of the Maryland/DC fraternity of doom metal bands. The band was formed in 1988 and issued a demo in the same year. The former Black Sabbath cover band (no surprise given the monicker) signed to Germany’s Hellhound and issued two albums before the label’s bankruptcy. Black Night featured the rhythm section of Larry Brown and Ron Kalimon. Media reports explained that Hellhound demanded the dismissal of Levey, which meant the recruitment of Michalak. The band’s next stop was Brainticket Records of America. Bassist Ginger left after the release of Generation Void and the subsequent tour was played with another female bassist, namely Viix. Dan Michalek, the vocalist of Iron Man, who was not able to participate in the band's 2000 US tour was replaced on the road by Jadd Schickler who was actually the proprietor of Meteor Records. The band was touring in support of its 1999 album Generation Void.
The band soon went on hiatus, but Michalak and Brown joined Morris in 2005 for the Templars Of Doom Festival. The band’s main new singer, Jon Owen, was barred from entering the USA from England. The group issued a series of live CDs independently. After a ten-year absence, Shadow Kingdom Records release a 2009 album, entitled I Have Returned, in April. Sole remaining members from previous albums was Al Morris. Iron Man would release an album called South Of The Earth for a September 30th release through Rise Above. Jason "Mot" Waldmann was on drums. The band split up in 2018. Al Morris had died. Hail To The Riff was recorded in Italy in 2014.
Reviews IRON MAN - THE PASSAGE - SHADOW KINGDOM 
This album was originally issued in 1995 by Hellhound, but has been enhanced with a Jaxx Club, USA performance DVD and re-issued some 15 years later. The band - no one is shocked given the monicker - is a Black Sabbath devotee and it shows on every single track and riff. They sued to be a Black Sabbath cover band after all. There is barely anything original here, but more direly there is barely anything good here. The vocals are especially weak both in tone and phrasing. The lyrics seem to stem from a heart beating in the right place, but that is about it. Aside from the obvious early Sabbath music, a couple of very early Rush inspirations are also present. The beginning of Unjust Reform is one instance. The album ends with the live End Of The World, which is one of the better tunes on the disc. - Ali “The Metallian”
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