Monday, December 27, 2010

Southern Flame: Whiskey Metal

Southern Flame are a metal band from southern West Virginia that combine elements of doom, sludge, and thrash into their sound.  This is a review of their 2007 album Whiskey Metal.  The disc itself actually comprises two separate recording sessions with two different line-ups not unlike Napalm Death's Scum.  Tracks one through eight are the newest songs with an at that time new drummer, nine through sixteen a previously recorded album titled Alcoholocaust with the original drummer, and the final two songs bonus tracks.  The shift in quality brought about by this could be seen as a problem, but when you view all tracks after number 8 as bonus as was intended it clears that up.


           The album opens up with an ambient backwards guitar track and a sample from the film Natural Born Killers before the first song Covered in Sin really kicks into gear.  Right out of the gate you realize that sludge isn't exactly the right genre to describe the band, with a definite thrash element present from the first riffs.  The second track, Pray, exemplifies what I think is all the best things about this band.  While utilizing the thrash influence that has crept into their sound, they also make use of tremendous sludge/doom riffs and all out jam sections.  The third track, Born to Never See, is a ballad-esque track that I feel does fit into their style but also slows down the proceedings a bit too soon in my opinion.  Another fast song follows up Born to Never See, titled Cloud of Smoke.  This song is also a worthy jam but has always left me wanting more towards the end.  The two tracks that follow though are my only gripe with this album.  Dang Doe Tango and Dead in the West are a drum solo and instrumental acoustic song respectively and I've always felt that two instrumental songs in the middle of the album really brings everything to a screeching halt.  The drum solo track really should have been used as a bonus track if I'm being honest here as it is definitely impressive but doesn't fit with the overall feel of the album the way Dead in the West does.  After this is Dixie Venom, another fast paced track with a bit of a punky feel and a short run time.  That leaves us with the final track of the intended Whiskey Metal album, Warfare.  Though this is also an instrumental, it is very much more in line with the type of music the band plays.  Great back and forth guitar play leads to the return of a crushing riff from the first song to bring the album full circle.
             After the Whiskey Metal album proper, the original album Alcoholocaust begins.  All of the elements that make this a great band are here but somewhat in their infant stages.  There is a way more prevalent doom metal influence evident, which I enjoy, though none of it sounds as thick as you would like due to independent production, a hindrance to both albums honestly.  The following bonus tracks are nice to have but not necessary.  Rebelhead (Alt. Version) is a re-record of an Alcoholocaust song with the new drummer and Cuttin' the Grass is a joke blue-grass track.  Over all, it's definitely an album to have in your collection if you're a fan of doom, sludge, or mid-paced thrash, but you have to wonder how much more essential it could be with a better recording and a different track line-up.

1 comment:

  1. Your review didn't suck. I felt it was an accurate account of the album. I agree with you that the two instrumentals would have benefited the album a bit more if they were labeled 'bonus tracks' and put at the end. Their placement in the middle of the album definitely throws off what could be a very cohesive collection. I think that 'Warfare' is a different story as far as instrumentals go. It fits in perfectly on the album, not that the other two don't fit or are bad, but definitely took away from the smooth transition from song to song.

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