Released By : Self Released
Genre : Sleazy Hard Rock, Southern Metal
Links : http://www.batonroguemorgue.com/
Tracklist:
01. Hellride
02. Deliverance
03. Massacre Of St. Valentine’s Day
04. Helter Skelter
05. Serpent Eyes
06. Body For Business
07. Dead Man’s Song
08. Love Among The Ruins
09. Lid Nailed Down
10. Built To Burn
11. Viinoja Tuomasta
Though BATON ROGUE MORGUE hail from Finland, the influence all things Americana have had on the band is obvious. They profess a love for Harley’s, fast cars, Jack Daniels, guns and loose women. The closest thing I can think of to describe their sound would be something like Southern Metal, but they possess a modern alternative rock type vibe too and even a touch of modern metal. Bands I can compare them to would be HELLYEAH, MUDVAYNE, SALIVA and a less hillbilly version of say Lynyrd Skynyrd, but take all of these influences and blend them up with a smattering of sleazy glam rock and apparently you actually come out at the other end with a winning formula.
Yes, simple fact…. I really enjoyed this album and try as I might there really isn’t that much to complain about. Maybe if anything I would have preferred a bit more gusto on the guitar effects and maybe a bit more lower-end on the production in general, but keeping in mind this is self-released project I am more than willing to look over these minor discrepancies and just appreciate the great music to be found in the disc.
Speaking of great music, if you want to skip ahead to the best stuff this album has to offer look no further than opening monster HELLRIDE that features a great wall of sound type feel and a real southern metal vibe which really sets the tone for the rest of the album. Other highlights include MASSACRE OF ST. VALENTINE’S DAY, which is a bit different to the rest of the stuff on the album but really stands out as an interesting song. DEAD MAN’S SONG takes the southern fried feeling up another level and is a real swamp rock ripper with some slight metal tendencies. The band takes it up a notch for TIME TO BURN which is clearly the heaviest song of the album and really shows just how intense they can be when they try.
The excellent digipack also comes with a bonus DVD that features a couple of well-made video clips and a few live clips too, this is a surprisingly good bonus when you consider that this is a self-released album and something that should help get the band noticed widely. I truly am surprised that BATON ROGUE MORGUE are yet to garner the interest of a label because they really do seem ready made, and if this is the sort of effort they can come up with by themselves, imagine what they could do with the support of a good record label and a bit more money in the studio. I will be following these guys closely to see how far they can go and I really do hope that everyone reading this review will at least check them out in one way or another.
Written By ZeeZee
Rating : 8/10
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