Slough Feg - Ape Uprising!

January 8, 2010

Reviewer: Chris

Okay, I love Thin Lizzy, man! A couple of years ago someone told me to check out the then-Lord Weird Slough Feg, which I did and was blown away right off. Not only did they manage to capture the Lizzy-esque sound, they brought in their own individual style that made them unique and fresh. Lizzy, in my opinion, never got the credit or fame they deserved, but hopefully Slough Feg can grab some of that limelight in times to come. They certainly have what it takes to earn such a coveted spot in the music world.

Okay, fanboy period over: Ape Uprising! is the latest addition to the band’s discography. Now, when I heard the title, Planet of the Apes references and visuals permeated my mind’s eye. How can they not? I myself am not a huge fan of apes, but hey, what can they have to rise up about? I ask myself. Well, the way Slough Feg plows through Ape Uprising!, it certainly sounds like an army of Gorilla Grodds forcing its way into societal habitats at reckless speed. Heavy, unrelenting, and powerful are all clichés, yes, but aptly descriptive of Feg’s CD. The guitar work alone would make Scott Gorham himself beam with fatherly pride, which is especially evident on the title track, a ten-minute epic that is pretty much a jam with some vocals overlapped in just the right area. It sounds hauntingly like Lizzy’s “Angel of Death” and Iron Maiden’s “Flight of Icarus” in spots, complete with clean galloping a la Lizzy’s Renegade-era. While vocalist Mike Scalzi sounds little like the immortal Phil Lynott, I’ve always dug his vocals, which fit perfectly for such a guitar-heavy band. Who’d have thought singing the eternal praises of ape supremacy would sounds so damn good?

I thought Hardworlder, the 2007 release, was great, but this one matches it chord for chord. Grab this immediately if you’re a Thin Lizzy fan or just a fan of hard rocking music with a metal twinge for good measure. They may have been influenced by Lizzy, but the music they shred through is all their own and a must-hear.

Release Date: May 8th, 2009
Label: Cruz Del Sur Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  The Hunchback of
      Notre Doom
2.  Overborne
3.  Ape Uprising
4.  Simian Manifesto
5.  Shakedown at The Six
6.  White Cousin
7.  Ape Outro
8.  Nasty Hero

Total playing time:  37:33

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