With the void left by the almighty Pantera, I'm somewhat surprised that there are not more bands out there with a Southern spin to their Groove/Power Metal. Enter Texas Medicine (Year Of The Sun Records) by Cradle To Grave, from of all places Vancouver, B.C. Now Canada is not quite the Southern vibe I was talking about, but they have that type of imported sound to them.
CTG infuse Phil Anselmo styled ranting & raving throughout with tight groove laden Metal all over Texas Medicine. Now I can't say I hear any real Dimebag riffing on here, but it's not for lack of trying. There are some breakdown Cowboys From Hell chugging here, but overall this is more of a Biohazard type Metal than the riff heavy Dimebag/Pantera, guitar fueled Metal. Reminds me of early 1980's Megaforce/Shrapnel/Music For Nations underground indie Metal. The modern day band that these guys are most like are Brand New Sin, for those who like those reference points.
Heavier on the power chording than the guitar riffing, CTG don't have many guitar solos flowing around on Texas Medicine, rather opting for the more powerful 'chug, chug, chug' of songs like "Five Years Of Fire" or "Light" or the cool Metallica "Metal Militia" fueled riff of "I Am Nothing". Mixed and mastered by the one and only crazy Canuck himself, Devin Townsend, Texas Medicine is a quality sounding release. It mixes elements of Hardcore, Power Metal and even spec's of good ol' boy Southern Hard Rock like Molly Hatchet, but Cradle To Grave don't light my fire with this release. It doesn't suck, it's just ok. Like good Southern BBQ, when you're down to the bone on your ribs, there's no meat left. Just some scraps left with sweet BBQ sauce. It's still tasty but there's nothing to sink your teeth into.
Track Listing
- Broken God
- At War With Myself
- Five Years Of Fire
- Light
- From Nowhere To Nowhere
- At Last
- Fuck It Up
- Daughters
- Nothing Left To Taste
- Beheaded In Paris
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
