Catchy 70's hard rock, punk, and modern metal collide on the latest from The American Plague. Titled God Bless the American Plague, the band might be a little too sure of themselves at this stage of the game, but make no mistake about it, this release contains some pretty catchy melodies and moments of serious headbanging fun. The opener "Sympathy for the King" is a crunchy metal number with some memorable guitar riffs, and "War Song" sounds almost like Glenn Danzig jamming with Thin Lizzy, as it features plenty of wild dual guitar soloing just like the Irish legends were known for. "Highwayman" also sort of has that rootsy, guitar fueled Lizzy feel to it, and the band cranks out some beefy hard rock on the riff heavy "Burn it Down". You've got to give these guys credit for tackling the Motorhead classic "Ace of Spades"-for the most part it works, as they have the speed factor right on the money, altough the vocals could have been a little more forceful. What doesn't work as well are the more punk/alternative flavored numbers like "They Had It Comin' " and "9 Times Outta 10", but thankfully there are not too many of those. When they stick to aggressive, Thin Lizzy inspired fretburners (mixed with a little CoC styled stoner grooves) like "Doubt" and "Flesh and Bone", these guys really cook. If they stick to this style and expand on it, they seem to have the chops and hunger to take this to the next level.
Track Listing
1. Sympathy for the King
2. What If"
3. 9 Times Outta 10"
4. War Song
5. Highwayman
6. Burn It Down
7. Ace of Spades
8. They Had It Comin'
9. Doubt
10. Flesh & Bone
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