Halfway to Gone – S/T
Smallstone
________________________________________________________
I
have been down with Jersey mudriff tyrants Halfway to Gone since
picking up their first release, a two-song split with Alabama
Thunderpussy, at an ATP show, about 666 years ago. So, even tho I
would normally frown upon any record featuring a winged horse on the cover-
unless it was Dio, maybe- I’m gonna give ‘em a pass on the German
power-metally design scheme, cuz the tough-as-nails stoner-boogie crunch on
this, their third full-length rekkid, is bad ass, Bronson.
Stylistically, HTG lean a little heavier on the blooze pedal here
than on their last, album, 2003’s “Second Season” (Small
Stone), but it’s still a no-nonsense, heads-down chugfest, with tracks
like my new theme song, “King of Mean”, and the raging opener “Turn
Pike”, comin’ on like Mountain trying to out-roar the din of
revving Harleys at an Angels rally. Chief GonerLou Borra’s
raspy outlaw bellow is the perfect word-made-flesh for these hairy
motor-beasts, and even on side-trips like their hammerin’ Hammond-peppered
cover o’ Deep Purple’s “Black Night” (heavier on the
Purple than on the Deep, natch) and closing chicken shack
freakout “Mr Nasty Time”, they still sound like a deadly accurate
dope-metal band with amps cranked to “stun”. The Status Quo of stoner
rock, then? Fuck yeah, man. They even got the denim vests, and everything.
Prepare to bang yr head til it falls clean off.
________________________________________________________
I
have been down with Jersey mudriff tyrants Halfway to Gone since
picking up their first release, a two-song split with Alabama
Thunderpussy, at an ATP show, about 666 years ago. So, even tho I
would normally frown upon any record featuring a winged horse on the cover-
unless it was Dio, maybe- I’m gonna give ‘em a pass on the German
power-metally design scheme, cuz the tough-as-nails stoner-boogie crunch on
this, their third full-length rekkid, is bad ass, Bronson.
Stylistically, HTG lean a little heavier on the blooze pedal here
than on their last, album, 2003’s “Second Season” (Small
Stone), but it’s still a no-nonsense, heads-down chugfest, with tracks
like my new theme song, “King of Mean”, and the raging opener “Turn
Pike”, comin’ on like Mountain trying to out-roar the din of
revving Harleys at an Angels rally. Chief Goner Lou Borra’s
raspy outlaw bellow is the perfect word-made-flesh for these hairy
motor-beasts, and even on side-trips like their hammerin’ Hammond-peppered
cover o’ Deep Purple’s “Black Night” (heavier on the
Purple than on the Deep, natch) and closing chicken shack
freakout “Mr Nasty Time”, they still sound like a deadly accurate
dope-metal band with amps cranked to “stun”. The Status Quo of stoner
rock, then? Fuck yeah, man. They even got the denim vests, and everything.
Prepare to bang yr head til it falls clean off.