On disc: Slough Feg

 
 Hardworlder
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 Ape Uprising!
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 The Animal Spirits
 
- Umberto Mino -
 
 

The Animal Spirits

(Cruz del Sur - 2010)



 
 

 

This is real underrated band.... These are the first words that passes in my mind when I think 'bout Slough Feg and Mike Scalzi. But that's it, so anyway let's talk about this new album The Animal Spirits and his hard work to follow their masterpiece Ape Uprising....

Also this time the mixture of folk / traditional American metal of this Frisco quartet just reach high levels in music and lyrics, they don't care about modern sound or any bulls**t and they follow their hard road, the road of passion and 'to-go-against-every-rule',and personally I like this attitude.

The Animal Spirits opener is Trick The Vicar, a less than 2 minutes song, a crash to our ears!!! Most of the actual bands need this time for a senseless intro, and Slough Feg kill our ears. The 95 Thesis is the return of their classic style, with huge Thin Lizzy influences!! Materia Prima is the second surprise of this album, an instrumental track with tons of feeling and great Maiden echoes.... Excellent job guys!! Free Market Barbarian show once again a great job in a short track, Lycanthropic Fantasies is longer and give us traces of their epic old school sound.

Ask The Casket is another classic folk / metal hymn for this band,and so is the follower Heavyworlder. The Tell-Tale Heart is more dynamic and doomy in the central break, so '70's oriented.... Kon-Tiki give us back the classic sound of Slough Feg, and Second Coming is simply a semi acoustic hymn for a sword battle. Tactical Air-War close in a fast way this album, another good album that this time should be hear by more people. So I hope that you people open your eyes and your wallets to support this American combo!!!

 
 










Umberto Mino


  
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Ape Uprising!

(Cruz del Sur - 2009)



 
 

 

Quite frequently Slough Feg, the band of Mike Scalzi, is releasing albums. Their 7th full-length album is called Ape Uprising! and presents once more epic heavy metal. But a title like The Hunchback Of Notre Doom indicates a doomy track. For Overborne they speed up a bit and this one is more based in 80's heavy metal and after the doomy opener this one can hook you up. The title track has something majestic, but also a lot variations to offer which is good, coz this epic one is about 10 minutes long! And even long instrumental passages can keep your interest - and a doomy part at the end shows their full spectrum. Simian Manifesto and Shakedown At The Six has a lot 80's metal in it, a lot NWoBHM. And it shows the Americans heavier then on their previous album Hardworlder. And they stay on the heavier side. Slough Feg isn't presenting something new, but they stay true to themselves. So, if you liked them in the past and like it a bit heavier, then get Ape Uprising!!
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Hardworlder

(Cruz del Sur - 2007)



 
 

 

The band formerly known as The Lord Weird Slough Feg has no shortened their name to Slough Feg. Btw, the name is taken from a character in ancient Irish mythology. But musically they didn't changed and their 6th album since their debut in 1996. Singer and guitarist Mike Scalzi is composing the music and combines epic heavy metal with Celtic folk and a 70's rock feeling.

They opening up with the grooving instrumental The Return Of Dr. Universe. The guitar-based tune leads you to Tiger! Tiger!. An ear catcher with some Thin Lizzy vibe... Live this one will make the people sing... and even Scalzi's guitar seems to sing. A bit Skyclad-ish is The Sea Wolf, not bad, but... Quite heavy and 70's heavy rock like is the title track Hardworlder. But the instrumental part at the beginning is a bit too long, but they when vocals set in the song gets a different dynamic. A bit like a very heavy version of Tull without the flute. Hardworlder leads into The Spoils - kinda melt together. With Frankfurt-Hahn Airport Blues they add a weird band title, but the title isn't musically as the title suggests. And not really a blues. A heavy riff-based tune. I never been a fan of instrumentals and so I can do without songs like Galactic Nomad. The Horselips cover Dreag Doom is a folk rocker, but as I don't know the original I can't judge what's better... The last track is a cover of Manilla Road's Street Jammer. Its well done, but not really a highlight for me.

Slough Feg fans will buy this album anyway, but all fans of epic heavy metal with a warm 70's vibe should check it out! Try out: Insomnia, Hardworlder and The Spoils.
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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