SLOUGH FEG

Hardworlder

Cruz Del Sur

8.5 / 10

Track listing:

01. The Return of Dr. Universe
02. Tiger! Tiger!
03. The Sea Wolf
04. Hardworlder
05. The Spoils
06. Frankfurt-Hahn Airport Blues
07. Galactic Nomad
08. Dearg Doom
09. Insomnia
10. Poisoned Treasures
11. Karma-Kazee
12. Whirling Vortex
13. Street Jammer

After stumbling drunkenly into a club one evening and experiencing the vintage heavy metal bombast (with stunning and tight dual-guitar fireworks) of SLOUGH FEG I decided it was high time to check out a band that I've heard a slew of critics and fans raving about. And boy, were those fans and critics ever right! A veteran U.S. band that oddly is as relevant today as they would have been in the early '80s, "Hardworlder" is as much as guitar lover's delight as it is a wonderfully quirky platter of vintage sounds, Celtic folk flourishes, and monster jams.

The album's X factor is the twin-axe attack of vocalist Michael Scalzi and "Don" Angelo Tringali. The leads are breathtaking and so well constructed, making each song a refreshing contrast to the muddled riffage and ProTools sheen of what feebly attempts to pass as traditional heavy metal these days. It could be the somber twin leads of "Tiger! Tiger!" with its flowing pace and triumphant chorus or the THIN LIZZY-inspired six-string fire of instrumental "Galactic Nomad", but the effect is always epic in feel and old school to the bone.

The album does take a few listens to fully appreciate, but the lasting effect is well worth the time spent. The band mixes up the album pacing by including tracks like "The Sea Wolf", a two-and-a-half minute epic beauty that includes acoustic guitar and a folk-powered cadence. You will love the way that the title track builds from a slow tempo with grand riffs into a quick paced rocker with a fantastic melody. And the cover tunes are delivered with aplomb, Horslips' "Dearg Doom" a tuneful and peppy mid-tempo number and the album-closing rendition of MANILLA ROAD's "Street Jammer" one hell of a raucous call to arms for the denim and leather crowd.

I mean, seriously, how many albums in recent memory can one truly define as heavy metal in the sense of the aforementioned Irish kings or early IRON MAIDEN? Not very damn many. I may not be able to give you comparison to past releases (yet, that is),but I can tell you that "Hardworlder" is unlike any other heavy metal album you'll heard this year. Believe the hype!

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