Iron Man 3

After the war-torn years of constant lyricist changes, constant critic fire in the recycled last albums, Black Sabbath has never exactly had the greatest of careers, but it left one hell of an aftermath. Almost as a calm after the storm, Sabbath has been consistently referred to as one of the greatest metal bands of all time, if not THE best, for, in a highly cataclysmic style, introduced heavy metal, completely attacking the scene. Sabbath is an example of a band that continues to draw endless fans, even after their downfall…

It's the beginning of a new era for Iron Man as renowned scribe Warren Ellis joins forces with digital painter Adi Granov to redefine the armored avenger's world for the 21st century in a landscape of terrifying new technologies that threaten to overwhelm fragile mankind! What is Extremis, who has unleashed it, and what does its emergence portend for the world? This special reprinting of an already classic Iron Man tale comes packed with never-before-seen bonus material. Get a behind the scenes look at how this blockbuster tale was created with preliminary artwork, script pages, layouts and much more! --

Michael Burks' third release on Alligator Records, Iron Man, is as close to being a live album as you can get from a studio performance. This could be attributed to Burks using his seasoned road band on this date instead of the Memphis studio musicians used previously on Make It Rain and I Smell Smoke. Alongside Burks' searing Flying V strut, Wayne Sharp's greasy Hammond B-3 dominates this set, reveling in soul and rock influences, including a cover version of Free's "Fire and Water," a definite nod to the blues-rock audience Burks has gained over his 30-plus years on the road. While Iron Man is an overall inspired modern electric blues disc, a few missteps hamper the session. "Ashes in My Ashtray," penned by Chicago bluesman Jimmy Johnson, would have made a better instrumental in this particular case, as the lyrics get in the way of an intense Burks guitar performance.