Welcome to Rock Music Critic! Check out reviews in the Flash menu above or the static links below. This latest version of the site now includes reviews with an embedded music player so you can listen to whole albums once for free courtesy of Lala.com. Lala doesn't always have an album, but when they do I will include the player. What's easier than listening to an album to decide whether you like it? Feel free to ignore my petty ramblings and just listen to the tunes. That's really the whole point anyway. Up the Irons!! ~ George
Slough Feg
Atavism
Now this is the kind of metal I grew up on. Yet, it is brand new. Interesting. I have to say that though I've never heard this band until recently, I'm impressed so far. I did see something somewhere that labeled them power metal, but given what power metal sounds like these days, that is a complete misnomer.
This is more like a heavy metal Jethro Tull or something. The style is very reminiscent of 80's metal, but this does not come across as stale. Quite the opposite really; I'm really grooving on it. I think the real problem with new bands that sound 80's dated is that they aren't making it sound interesting. If you can take an older style and make it live and breathe today by infusing new ideas into it, or by just kicking real ass, then by all means do it!
Really, I can't think of anyone that this really reminds me of that plays metal today. This is much more interesting than a lot of what I hear these days. I could easily find myself becoming a Slough Feg fanatic. It's different and it's just so damn cool. Apparently there are other earlier releases; I'm going to have to see if I can find them.
The only problem I have with this, and it is very minor, is the production doesn't sound leaps and bounds better than 80's production. Some of the clean stuff sounds pretty good, but the rest sounds a little dirty. They may totally have been going for an analog sound. But I love the crisp clarity of digital, and so I think this would rock even more with a nice crisp and punchy sound. But really, this is minor, the important thing is that the disc rocks.
Listening to the disc a little more, the music itself also makes me think of a mix between Iron Maiden and Rush. Elements of both, yet sounding like neither.
The guitars offer the best of the 80's: way cool riffs and great songs, without excessive wanking. The vocals are clean and…noble sounding (see Falconer, Iron Maiden for examples of noble.) There isn't any wall of vocal gang chorus stuff going on, just cool singing. Oh damn, that guitar riff just kicked my ass. Good stuff.
Bottom line: I can't say enough good things about this disc, it kicks my ass and it will kick yours too. I strongly recommend Atavism.
