Slough Feg
Digital Resistance
Metal Blade Records
2014
Slough Feg have changed a bit, since their early days, back from when they were known as “The Lord Weird Slough Feg”... apart from the obvious, parts of their name that went missing, members, came and went and their style became more refined with the passage of time, but their sound always remains quite unique and immediately recognizable. I suppose Mike Scalzi’s playing and voice as well as whoever was partnering with him on guitars are partly to blame for that as well as their “bizarre” lyrical themes that mix the occult, sci-fi, celtic myths, space travel and whatnot !
The band’s 9th full album proudly continues the legacy, without a great deviation. You get the bizarre 70s pompous, proto heavy rock/metal with epic overtones, a certain Celtic vibe, being ever present throughout and lots of doomy and gloomy, yet paradoxically the very next moment fast and playful passages appeating throughout the album's duration...
“Analogue Avengers-Bertrand Russell’s Sex Den” the album’s “interestingly” entitled opening track, is a testament to that, as it opens really playfully and all fast paced and pompously, only to finish some four minutes later almost in a doomy way...
“Digital Resistance” the album’s namesake, is a bit more even maintaining a playful rather up-tempo riff/motif throughout its duration. It’s not entirely dissimilar to its predecessor, at least in the way it begins...
“Habeas Corpsus”, I don’t know if that’s proper Latin for “havin’ a body”, or some sort of a “sick joke”, but I’d seem to think it’s the latter. It’s a somewhat dry, humorless, but “dead” funny at the same time song about a killer... so... it’s done as a dark, acoustic number with quite loud pronounced drumming and rather muted vocals.
“Magic Hooligan” is a lot more energetic and boomy cut from a quite different cloth, with a different sort of riff, sound and style and while it’s a little faster and in places more aggressive it’s just not as appealing as the tracks preceding it.
“Ghastly Appendage” again turns the tables, with a rather creepy repetitive riff, that’s very catchy and effective however. It’s a nasty and growing little “fucker”... I have no idea WTF the whole song is all about… it’s just like some Cthulhu fucking nightmare complete with sick riffs and vocals that antagonize the riffs for sickness… great then, just great… the great old ones! lol!
“Laser Enforcer” was released as a 7'' and talks about X-rated beams?! And who knows what else… lol ehm and I suppose it’s another nice rather uplifting mid-high tempo number with the usual gallop and riffs that you might have to expect from the bands, in maybe a little more straightforward way... I suppose it even seems to go for a rather extended instrumental – solo section during the 3rd minute.
“The Price is Nice” is a slow track that can only be described as “filler” I suppose. A basic riff and some noodling during the 3rd minute, apart from revealing a very formulaic, cookie-cutter, way of track-building, seem to have in this case just not worked at all.
Having not heard a word uttered during the first two and a half minutes of “Curriculum Vitae” I was very much hoping it was an instrumental, but then, sure as hell there was Scalzi, chanting some stuff... thankfully, it’s only a couple of very random verses without a chorus, seemingly... so it’s not a bad track, just very weird, out there and experimental!
“The Luddite” is a slow, melodic and rather peaceful number unlikely the British machine smashers of the 1800s that would create a lot of commotion before they were suppressed by the government with their whole cause and movement soon after several of their were brought to justice for various crimes, ending.
Finally “Warrior’s Dusk” is an epic conclusion to this “journey” and it’s riffy and lyrical, rich in melody and quite unique with a persistent “theme” that haunts it.
Another “very good” album for this “honest” band that has never really disappointed. Even if I consider their best works to be either “Twilight...” or “Traveler”, the recent albums haven’t been too bad either and those that enjoyed those, will also enjoy this one as well, as almost every song serves a purpose here (with the glaring exception of “The Price is Nice”)… Nice one... Not the Price... The album.
The band’s 9th full album proudly continues the legacy, without a great deviation. You get the bizarre 70s pompous, proto heavy rock/metal with epic overtones, a certain Celtic vibe, being ever present throughout and lots of doomy and gloomy, yet paradoxically the very next moment fast and playful passages appeating throughout the album's duration...
“Analogue Avengers-Bertrand Russell’s Sex Den” the album’s “interestingly” entitled opening track, is a testament to that, as it opens really playfully and all fast paced and pompously, only to finish some four minutes later almost in a doomy way...
“Digital Resistance” the album’s namesake, is a bit more even maintaining a playful rather up-tempo riff/motif throughout its duration. It’s not entirely dissimilar to its predecessor, at least in the way it begins...
“Habeas Corpsus”, I don’t know if that’s proper Latin for “havin’ a body”, or some sort of a “sick joke”, but I’d seem to think it’s the latter. It’s a somewhat dry, humorless, but “dead” funny at the same time song about a killer... so... it’s done as a dark, acoustic number with quite loud pronounced drumming and rather muted vocals.
“Magic Hooligan” is a lot more energetic and boomy cut from a quite different cloth, with a different sort of riff, sound and style and while it’s a little faster and in places more aggressive it’s just not as appealing as the tracks preceding it.
“Ghastly Appendage” again turns the tables, with a rather creepy repetitive riff, that’s very catchy and effective however. It’s a nasty and growing little “fucker”... I have no idea WTF the whole song is all about… it’s just like some Cthulhu fucking nightmare complete with sick riffs and vocals that antagonize the riffs for sickness… great then, just great… the great old ones! lol!
“Laser Enforcer” was released as a 7'' and talks about X-rated beams?! And who knows what else… lol ehm and I suppose it’s another nice rather uplifting mid-high tempo number with the usual gallop and riffs that you might have to expect from the bands, in maybe a little more straightforward way... I suppose it even seems to go for a rather extended instrumental – solo section during the 3rd minute.
“The Price is Nice” is a slow track that can only be described as “filler” I suppose. A basic riff and some noodling during the 3rd minute, apart from revealing a very formulaic, cookie-cutter, way of track-building, seem to have in this case just not worked at all.
Having not heard a word uttered during the first two and a half minutes of “Curriculum Vitae” I was very much hoping it was an instrumental, but then, sure as hell there was Scalzi, chanting some stuff... thankfully, it’s only a couple of very random verses without a chorus, seemingly... so it’s not a bad track, just very weird, out there and experimental!
“The Luddite” is a slow, melodic and rather peaceful number unlikely the British machine smashers of the 1800s that would create a lot of commotion before they were suppressed by the government with their whole cause and movement soon after several of their were brought to justice for various crimes, ending.
Finally “Warrior’s Dusk” is an epic conclusion to this “journey” and it’s riffy and lyrical, rich in melody and quite unique with a persistent “theme” that haunts it.
Another “very good” album for this “honest” band that has never really disappointed. Even if I consider their best works to be either “Twilight...” or “Traveler”, the recent albums haven’t been too bad either and those that enjoyed those, will also enjoy this one as well, as almost every song serves a purpose here (with the glaring exception of “The Price is Nice”)… Nice one... Not the Price... The album.