SLOUGH FEG

Gee, here's a big surprise; another great album from SLOUGH FEG. It makes one wonder what a "bad" SLOUGH FEG album would sound like. "The Animal Spirits" doesn't just follow in the sizeable footsteps of predecessors "Ape Uprising" and "Hardworlder"; it leaves bigger imprints.

Much like previous SLOUGH FEG releases the approach taken on "The Animal Spirits" is concise in duration (they can make two minutes seem epic),catchy (after a couple of spins),and unique in the sense of blending influences into a sound its very own. It is also a bit of a grower, as usual; consciously or otherwise, there is always a degree of depth involved, regardless of the fact that melody is a central component. As such, repeat listens pay big dividends down the road. Though a little too simplistic in descriptive terms, the foundation is built on a combination of THIN LIZZY and early IRON MAIDEN, yet the package is distinctive and anything but mimicked.

Regardless of referential descriptors, the truth of the matter is that "The Animal Spirits" is chock full of great guitar melodies, solos, and the unique vocal style — and just as important, the patterning — of guitarist Mike Scalzi. More specifically, a song like opener "Trick the Vicar" is indicative of the album's ballsier approach and, once again, comes with fantastic Celtic folk colored melodies. And it's not even two minutes in length! Even better is the central melody of "Free Market Barbarian", perhaps the best of the bunch and one that rocks particularly hard for a whopping two minutes and forty seconds with its stop/start riffs and forceful gallops. Speaking further to the band's songwriting skill, classic '70s-style instrumental "Materia Prima" is just as memorable as anything else on the album. "The 95 Thesis" is a vintage two-part heavy metal rocker, "Ask the Casket" has a certain Irish pub sing-along sway to it, and "Second Coming" is another in a long line of acoustic-based SLOUGH FEG folk beauties. Finally, "The Animal Spirits" features two pleasant surprises in the brilliant interpretation of ALAN PARSONS PROJECT song "The Tell-Tale Heart", boasting a main riff that has "Fast" Eddie Clarke (ex-MOTÖRHEAD) written all over it, and a hot rockin' and very MAIDEN-like album closer "Tactical Air War", featuring guest vocals from BROCAS HELM's Bob Wright. This one clocks in at 2:19 and was written by Adrian Maestas. Phew! I'm almost out of breath just writing about it and there are more tracks just as noteworthy, such as "Heavyworlder" (another pub tune) and "Lycanthropic Fantasies".

A few twists notwithstanding, SLOUGH FEG haven't reinvented themselves on "The Animal Spirits". They've just improved an already outstanding method to the heavy metal madness. Time will be the true determiner, but at this point I'd have to put "The Animal Spirits" just above "Ape Uprising" and "Hardworlder" as far as front-to-back quality is concerned. Do wrong? Not SLOUGH FEG.