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Slough Feg - Ape Uprising

Published May 08 2009


*
=Staff's pick

The Hunchback Of Notre Doom
Overborne*
Ape Uprising*
Simian Manifesto*
Shakedown At The Six*
White Cousin
Ape Outro
Nasty Hero


Genre Traditional Metal/NWOBHM
Mike Scalzi
Vocals
Tracks 8
Mike Scalzi
Guitar
Runningtime 45 Min.
Angelo "Don" Tringali
Guitar
Label Cruz del Sur
Adrian Maestas
Bass
Release 08 May 2009
Harry Cantwell
Drums
Country USA
-
Keyboard
Similar artists Hammers Of Misfortune, Brocas Helm, Bible Of The Devil

For many of us, a new release by a criminally underrated band from the USA is truly an event to be heralded, as in the States, metal bands seem to have problems getting the recognition they deserve. The latest offering by San Francisco's noble savages Slough Feg is one of those releases: a brash, heavy, raw, and highly entertaining album. I have been a fan of this band for several years now, and Down Among The Deadmen ranks as one of my favorite albums of all time.

That being said, I was a bit disappointed with the two releases previous to Ape Uprising. True, Atavism and Hardworlder rocked and thrashed in all the right places, but, to my ears, they lacked something of the charm or personality of the first few albums. It almost felt as if Mike and crew were struggling to find their collective muse. Still, I salivated when I heard about the release of Ape Uprising, and I was not disappointed. Not by a long shot.

First of all, the cover art by Larry Luna is absolutely riotous, with its B-movie-poster summation of the album's subject material. This is a band that never disappoints in this respect.

Cruz del Sur's website touts this release as "Their heaviest to date," and they are spot-on with this description. The guitars, courtesy of frontman Mike Scalzi and Angelo Tringali, are loud, raw, distortion-drenched, and feedback-laden. Adrian Maestas' bass playing is forward in the mix more than on previous releases. Harry Cantwell's drumming is tight and thunderous.

Many accolades go to Mike Scalzi for his vocal work on this album. His range seems to have extended quite a bit, and he never falters on the high notes. His is a raw but not gravelly voice, with plenty of power and clarity. Scalzi has outdone himself lyrically, as well. This round of lyrics displays plenty of the succinctness, heavy-handed criticism, and flippant irony that he seems to be so good at balancing.

Everything seems to be mixed fairly well. The NWOBHM vibe aside, the guitars could have been just a bit cleaner, as the licks and notes are flying all over the place and sometimes it is just a bit difficult to discern what is going on. This is particularly apparent in the middle of Shakedown At The Six, when Scalzi and Tringali are playing complementary melodies. Sadly, some of it is lost in the muddle, and it took a discerning ear to fully appreciate what was happening.

The songs themselves are well-constructed, even given how chaotic the changes can be. Each song sounds fairly similar in many ways, thanks to the 'Feg's trademark Thin-Lizzy-on-steroids guitar riffing. This gives unity to the album, but no staleness.

Doomsters will don their monk's robes in glee at The Hunchback Of Notre Doom. This is the most straightforward song on the album, as the rest display a myriad of changes. Thankfully, the complexity never enters progressive territory. Overborne, Ape Uprising, Simian Manifesto, and Shakedown At The Six display the band's penchant for twin-guitar mayhem, and will grip the souls of all who read from the Bible Of The Devil.

The Title track is the longest song on the album, clocking in at ten minutes. Amazingly, it never loses focus and contains no filler. Every change complements the part before it, and conveys the solemn and the frenzied, the manic and the depressive. Listening to this song I was reminded of Warrior's Dawn, from Down Among The Deadmen. All throughout it was easy to imagine the revolt of our evolutionary forebears, in all its screeching, feces-flinging glory.

The rest of the album consists of three good, but not stellar songs. White Cousin brings back Twilight Of The Idols, and is a good listen, but it did not grab me as the earlier songs did. Ape Outro is an improvement, with its Hell-Bent For Leather 80s gallop. The guitarists are showcased here, once again, with some really ripping solos.

If there is a weak track on this album, it is Nasty Hero. It seemed to fall flat at first, but was saved by a tasty bit of Slough Feg guitar chaos in the middle. However, once that was said and done, the song fades out on the same tepid power chord theme upon which the song began. I found myself wanting more, and better, particularly from the closing track on an album of otherwise great songs.

Despite the less-than-impressive nature of the last song and the aforementioned production quibbles, I enjoyed Ape Uprising heartily. It stands quite strongly alongside the band's previous releases, and is a strong contender for being their best to date. Here's to the hope that this will mark a return to form for this band, one which has consistently provided us with a strikingly original take on traditional metal.

See also review of: Atavism
See also: interview with Mike Scalzi

Performance
Originality
Production
Vocals
Songwriting

8

7

6,5

9,5

8

 
Summary



8 chalices of 10 - Nate


Related links:

www.slough-feg.com
www.myspace.com/sloughfeg