Reviewed by Martin I Smith

'II', the band's debut on to the Ferret Music label, is a record that is equally heavy in both its instrumental force and also in the thickness of its Southern drenched feel and concept. Dallas Taylor is the vocal powerhouse behind the record, and his performance captures both these aspects. The grit in his tearing screams is delivered with a ground-shaking conviction that threatens to blow your speakers, while similarly, his Southern tone rings in with notable clarity and conjures images of sandy plains and whisky drinking on sun-stroke inducing days. Taylor's blasting vocals are a brutal sonic weapon when matched with the band's three-man electric guitar battery squad, who use their combined strength to produce condensed raw riffs rather than intricate harmonies. It's a formula that is adhered to for the most part of the album's duration, perfected in "Dry The River" and "Death In An Alcoholic", songs that shows the band is capable not just of writing crushingly heavy material, but memorable melodies too. The album has patches where the musical scenery displays too much repetition but these instances are sparse and slower pieces like "Tale Of The Runaways" and the all instrumental "The Day Hell Broke Loose At Sicard Hollow" give the record some balance. Tied by the 1930's crime concept, each song is brought together to form a unified effort worthy of anyone seeking thoughtfully crafted hard rock.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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