So when we heard that there was a band from
Bath, UK who has just released their debut album of bluesey funk-rock
we didn't think much of it. Another lite-weight Primal Scream
rip-off we thought. Well sh*t were we wrong. The first spin of
'Great Vengeance....' transported this reviewer 3000 miles West
of Bath into the fried and epic sunset of California via New York,
Mississippi and Detroit, which is something considering that the
likes of Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin were rotating previously
on the office stereo. `The Heavy' are a four-piece who specialise
in creating a highly authentic brand of dirty neo-blues fused
with a swaggering hip-hop/funk-laden groove and wailing/torched
vocals straight from late sixties freak-out era. On top of this
they tweek and shred their guitars to create a psychedelic edge
to proceedings which acts as the icing on the cake.
Of the 10 tracks on this 33 minute album, none
disappoint and all contribute to one awesome experience. Early
on, listeners are treated to `Colleen', a unique track employing
a gritty hip-hop beat and clanging percussion which acts as a
backdrop to vocalist, Swaby's emphatic and raw melodic wails.
`You Don't Know' starts off with dark and heavy riffage which
brings to mind 60's forgotten heavy-psychedelic innovators `Parson
Sound'. This foreboding, almost metal-sounding soundscape meanders
throughout the track and psychedelic guitars join proceedings
to create an extremely raw and heavy ode to `Comets On Fire'.
`Girl'
sees Swaby performing some `tongue-in cheek' Streets-esque rapping
about a rather fit sounding bird. In the middle, Swaby switches
to singing and the transformation is quite amazing and perfectly
showcases Swaby's immense vocal talents. `In The Morning' is another
downtuned and heavy outing which sounds like a punked-out Velvet
Underground indulging in a touch of rabble-rousing. `Dignity'
is another rousing high-tempo retro-post-punk piece which sounds
like Evergreen (Chicago school of post-punk) meets White
Light/White Heat era Velvet Underground. On tracks like `Doing
Fine', `Bruk Pocket...' and `Who Needs The Sunshine?', `The Heavy'
undertake a softer, more soulful approach which all bumble along
nicely and give the listener time to really take stock of the
album.
In `Great Vengeance and Furious Fire', `The Heavy'
have executed a fantastic, gritty and urban take on the genre's
of soul, funk and psychedelic rock. Their sound is a forceful
nod to the heroes of the aforementioned genres and it is obvious
the raw production values and `live' sound are tools that have
been employed to strengthen this. Out of respect for `The Heavy'
and all that they represent, `Great Vengeance and Furious Fire'
deserves to be purchased on Vinyl.
For
fans of: RL Burnside, Velvet Underground, Early Fleetwood Mac,
Primal Scream, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Little Steven &
The Disciples of Soul.
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