Alabama Thunderpussy - Open Fire Review
Posted by Brandon Ratliff on 05.10.2007
Mommy, that man said a bad word...
Alabama Thunderpussy – Open Fire
Release Date: March 6, 2007
Label: Relapse Records
Produced By: Ian Whalen
First Single: Words Of The Dying Man
Recommended Downloads: Void Of Harmony, Words Of The Dying Man, Whiskey War
Alabama Thunderpussy is:
Vocals: Kyle Thomas
Guitar: Eric Larson
Guitar: Ryan Lake
Bass: Mike Bryant
Drums: Bryan Cox
Tracklisting
1. The Cleansing
2. Void Of Harmony
3. Words Of The Dying Man
4. The Beggar
5. None Shall Return
6. Whiskey War
7. A Dreamer’s Fortune
8. Valor
9. Open Fire
10. Brave The Rain
11. Greed
From time to time, we, as critics, will be required to tackle album reviews whose bands we are not familiar. It comes with the territory. Occasionally during those times, it will be a well established band within a favorite genre of music that we’ve somehow missed. Even fewer of those times will it be a very well established band with a considerable fan base that may have a tendency to tear the aforementioned critics to shreds upon a bad experience with a review. Hate mail, again, comes with the territory, and many writers of this fine website will welcome it, if only for the usual sheer comical value of the terrible grammar and inability of the author to think outside of a drone-like mindset of “________ is the best band ever!!!” It happens, it’s humorous, we move on.
Anyhow, I digress. The reason for that paragraph is this: despite this being Alabama Thunderpussy’s sixth album, and the fact that they play a southern hard rock/metal hybrid that I tend to be personally fond of, I’ve not had a single prior experience with the band outside of hearing their name. Thus, I will focus on this album and my experience with it, rather than searching out previous works as a basis of comparison like I usually would. Why? Two reasons:
1. Many fans of the band that I know (in addition to many comments I’ve read on message boards about the review) tell me that this is probably ATP’s strongest album to date, and;
2. This is the band’s first album with vocalist Kyle Thomas, formerly of Floodgate and Exhorder, and from what I’ve heard, he brings a different style to the band while still keeping with their southern “open a can of whupass” vibe.
So, with all that said, on with the proverbial show.
Click the picture to buy the album.
All the way from the bass/drum intro of “The Cleaning,” the album never has a single dull or slow moment. It may actually be a little overwhelming at first listen, but with repeated spins, you will probably grow to pick up on all the little of intricacies that are sprinkled throughout. But don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a nice, polished rock record. Quite far from it. What you have here is eleven tracks of whiskey soaked, rip-roaring southern metal. While the band isn’t particularly heavy, they have quite enough crunch to satisfy just about any metal fan, and enough melody to appeal to a wide variety of other people, assuming none of them get overly sensitive about the band’s semi-vulgar name. It’s not rock and roll without a little dirt right?
But enough of that. While Thomas brings a very solid element to the band, the real highlight here is the masterful guitar work of axemen Eric Larson and Ryan Lake. I honestly think more bands need to take lessons from these men, who are absolutely phenomenal at showing that more is not always better. Generally speaking, their work isn’t overly complex during the verses and choruses, but the focus on good songwriting when it is needed is very prevalent here. Of course, the kind of solos here are what the term “face melting solo” was invented for, as they write leads that are not only very tasteful in context, but just also make you want to get up and break out the trusty air guitar. You want to nominate a solid guitar band for inclusion in Guitar Hero III? Look no further.
Like with any album Open Fire is not without its faults. Those unaccustomed to anything but what plays in regular rotation on their local modern rock station may not find much to like here. ATP are masters at crafting a good, solid melody, but not in the sense that will have anyone too young to chug a beer with their buddies singing along. Of course, none of these people will find Open Fire to be bad, or anything more than slightly inoffensive at best, but this band, much like contemporaries Corrosion Of Conformity, doesn’t exactly reach out to a huge audience. Also, some of the songs tend to blend together a bit, and can seem a formulaic at times, even with Lake and Larson’s stellar work.
If you’re looking for some good old fashioned southern metal, Open Fire is your record. I can’t recommend it to anyone who couldn’t sing at least one Skynyrd song that isn’t “Free Bird” or “Sweet Home Alabama,” and those who aren’t familiar with the band already. From what I’ve told, if you were a fan previously, you will absolutely love this record. And as someone who knew nothing of them before Open Fire, I can safely say that it will stay in fairly regular rotation here. So if you miss the days when Pantera ruled the airwaves, this is the record for you. While they might not be quite as heavy as the Cowboys From Hell, these boys can chug a can of Blue Ribbon with shots of Southern Comfort with the best of them, and they will let you have a good time doing it. And that’s all anyone wants, right?
The 411: Open Fire is a slice of neo-classic southern metal with enough oomph to let you nod your head along, and enough melody to let you do your best Ronnie Van Zant, pretending to have a microphone and everything. They don’t have a huge appeal, and some of the songs may sound a bit too similar to some, but I think the band set out to make a solid record that is roaring and fun from end to end. Feel free to play this one at the barbeque before the big game. Just leave the Viking helmets and swords to the professionals eh? Unless of course the Vikings are playing, but it’s not like they are good or anything.
