Righteous Fool - Righteous Fool EP

September 25, 2010

Reviewer: Chris

Release Date: September 9, 2010
Label: Southern Lord Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Forever Flames
2.  Edict of Worms

Total playing time:  9:09

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*Comments:

Righteous Fool is a side venture featuring Corrosion of Conformity’s Mike Dean and Reed Mullin that seems to combine the better elements of doom metal and hard rock with some intelligent alternative devices. While I can certainly hear a track like “Edict of Worms” making the rounds on mainstream radio, this won’t happen largely in part because the general music-buying public is too geared to American Idol type vapidity, allowing itself to ceremoniously languish in such pedestrian musical stimuli. What an absolute travesty that bands like this put out solid hard rock/metal and never see some serious airplay.

I’m a strong proponent for keeping our scene “pure” in the underground, allowing the chosen among us to seek out this music and understand it to its full degree, but something like this comes along and just blows your mind that it’s accessible without selling out the ideals or diluting the solution for the sake of notice. In two songs you can hear the terrific grasp Righteous Fool has on the throat of this particular style and it’s wondrously appealing. “Forever Flames” suggests Sabbath finding solace in the comfort of some dingy bar playing for ten people; it’s ugly, lush and interesting with no drop-off in style or quality throughout. The 70’s certainly finds an acquiescent audience here.

I particularly like the groove in “Edict of Worms”; it feels so dirty and heavy without sounding overly-dated or boring. The often formulaic sound that is easily raped or pre-mixed with solution seems too vibrant and integral to face such trite labels or rash decisions. I’m certainly looking forward to a full-length from these guys in the future. This type of metal should be revered and cherished as much as possible since it’s not easily attainable in this solid of an offering. I suggest you buy the 7” from Southern Lord as soon as possible and listen to it a loop of twenty times. It truly is a great initial step.