OFFICIAL: http://www.heavyamerica.us
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/heavyamerica/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/heavyamerica/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/heavyamerica
Written
by William Elgin, posted by blog admin
Massachusetts
has been a rich breeding ground for powerful rock music since the Eighties. From the classic rock leaned metal of Only
Living Witness to Sam Black Church’s snarling metallic hardcore or even
Waltham’s soaring alternative anthems; good music in the area has been in no
short supply. The latest in this grand lineage is power trio Heavy America’s
blues-tinged mixture of hard rock groove, dirty Seattle vibes and folky rustic
Americana. After a series of singles and
an EP, Heavy America presents …Now, a
searing full-length brimming with atmospheric, earthy jams benefitting from a
weighty guitar presence, gritty melodic vocals and a rustbelt rhythm section
full of push/pull dynamics.
Opener “Proud
Shame” kicks off with Mike Seguin’s hazy fuzz guitars and rough-hewn melodic
vocals ebbing atop of Dan Fried’s pounding backbeats and Budd Lapham’s walking
bass lines. Elements of Son Volt and
Woven Hand float to the surface, but knife-edged 70s rock riffs present a
grandslam of heft that puts the band in line with some of the more offbeat
luminaries from flagship stoner rock record label Small Stone. It’s a good place to be with results that are
retro and refreshing yet original.
“Bleed Mary” toys with softer electric guitar textures colliding into
subtle pocket rhythms. The entire band
blends in with back-up vocals to fill in Mike’s lead while musical bombast
always lurks on the horizon. It appears
in the form of a barbwire power chord mash-up during the infectious chorus
hook. At 3:45, Lapham presents a mesmerizing
little bass lick with the rest of the band dropping out, before hammering their
way back in with a crunching rock n’ roll attack and a jangling, exotic guitar
solo.
First single
“Pray for Me” goes right into the riff meat right from the get go with
staccato, sludgy grooves and noisy minor key clatter cutting through the
density. Fried’s drumming is given a
real chance to standout here with taut, neck-snapping work on the snare. The immediacy makes this an obvious choice
for single, especially with its punk rock brevity. Heavy America’s bluesy influence is at the
forefront of “Sweet Kisses’” vintage wah pedal squeals and slinky old school
boogie, allowing “Casting Stones” to split the different between balladry and
bullrush for a unique dichotomy of stylistic sand shifting from Neil Young to
Sabbath to Blackfoot. “Goliath’s”
crunchy, chunky stomp keeps the energy high until courses are recalculated into
the cosmic, ethereal psychedelic rock of “I Can Take It,” a tune that showcases
the band’s affinity for tricked out pedal boards. Returning to rural Neil Youngisms, “Heavy
Eyes” is a laidback jam with country twang, clearing the way for “Achilles
Fail” to smash the riff-y guitar rock one more time.
…NOW is a killer piece of work from a
band who removes the static silliness of trendy retro rock for a real deal feel
that separates the men from the boys. A
few more hooks will push them into the stratosphere but Heavy America is already in the pantheon of greatness.
Grade: A-
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