HAG - Fear of Man

Sometimes you get a knockout punch first blow from a band with their first track and the dirty noise wasn't delivered in the title track which opens this album by Londoners HAG. The song has a heavy Pink Floyd influence running through it although there is a grungier feel. Think Soundgarden's "Down On The Upside" album. The second song is an unbathed version of Rage Against the Machine with a heavy Cows noise-rock dirtying proceedings even further. There's a dirty grunge metal heart beating through "Rainbow Dust", Once again think Soundgarden but go back to their earlier work. "Trauma Yauma" is damned heavy and kicks close to High on Fire's unashamed metal. The slightly rapped parts betray the metal leanings of the tune. There's a definite heavy stoner-metal heart to "White Lion" which rips and aims and shoots straight for the throat. This is easily the stand-out track of the album.

The riffing throughout "Fear of Man" assault the senses with the dirty sludge that will make many a metal fan as happy as a pig caked in mud.

3/5



Check out Hag's "Fear of Man" on bandcamp

HAG on facebook

Cows - Sorry in Pig Minor

Cows are a recent discovery for me, I first heard of them and took notice when the Screams From The Gutter blog compared the now defunct Palmerston North band Lung to them, Chokebore and Flour. I picked up their last album "Sorry in Pig Minor" from Real Groovy's $1 bin without even seeing the band name.

The album title alone convinced me it was worth parting with one small measly dollar to own the c.d. and seeing it was an amphetamine reptile release sealed the deal. This CD opens with a spoken word piece that is reminisect of William Burroughs. Heck, cockroaches are mentioned and listening to this album it wouldn't be surprising if these guys had also tried getting high using bug powder. Noise pop would be the best description of the sound here as Cows have a number of tuneful pieces on this album but like Lung they effortlessly move from pop to noise sometimes within a song and at times are reminiscent of Flying Nun band The Skeptics and/or The Birthday Party's HeeHaw album.

Sorry in Pig Minor

Whorn [PA]