Imagine if you will, a late night jam session between Down, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Mountain, Humble Pie, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, and Blue Cheer, with the lights dimmed, a bunch of beer bottles laying around and a few joints smoldering in ash trays. That's kind of the vibe you get when listening to The Dogs Have Barked, The Birds Have Flown, the Neurot Records debut from Arkansas act Iron Tongue. Not quite doom, not quite sludge, not quite Southern Rock, not quite classic rock, but elements of all four are here and make for a fun mix of hard rocking music. The band is fronted by Chris "CT" Terry (founding member of sludge veterans Rwake) and also includes Jason Tedford and Mark Chiaro on guitars, bassist Andy Warr, drummer Stan James, keyboardist JR Top and backing vocalist Stephanie Smittle. You're not going to get anything groundbreaking here, but it's a cool ride from start to finish nonetheless, with swirling organ & heavy riffs permeating the dark & doomy "Skeleton" and a real Southern swampy vibe on the upbeat "Witchery". Much of the album plays like a more laid back, classic rock version of New Orleans act Down, with Terry's whisky soaked yet melodic vocals not too far removed from Phil Anselmo's in overall delivery. The bluesy "Lioness" has some addicting grooves and an alluring psychedelic feel, while "Said 'N' Done" provides the albums real sludge/stoner moments, complete with crushing, thunderous riffs and tortured vocals.
Part of me wants to rate this a little higher, as there is plenty of strong material to be found here, but a few of these songs just screamed for some uptempo arrangements in spots, which would have rescued them from the apparent 'sameyness' that infiltrates much of the CD. That being said, The Dogs Have Barked, The Birds Have Flown shows plenty of promise for this band, and it will be interesting to see where they take their Southern Rock/doom/sludge/stoner/classic rock hybrid next.
Track Listing
1. Ever After
2. Witchery
3. Skeleton
4. Moon Unit
5. Lioness
6. Seven Days
7. Said 'n' Done
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