Slammed
SK, 2019
8/10
A Minneapolis outfit comprised of music veterans Corey Birkholz and James West Foster, the pair recruited Janine Taft and her sturdy pipes to help flesh out these tunes that embrace rock, blues and metal in all sorts of unpredictable ways.
“No Resistance” gets the listen started with soaring guitar work as Taft’s rich vocals guide the gritty yet proficient rocker, and “Misty Mound” follows with a groove filled affair that’s both hard hitting yet elegant.
Further along, “Consider This” finds a more restrained place to reside amid a soulful delivery from Taft as the spirited guitar and cautious drums complement the setting, while “Halfway To Walker” recruits acoustic guitars and backing vocals for a harmonic adventure. “Alligator Breath”, the album standout, then emits throbbing bass work and a more ominous setting for one of the most abrasive tunes that metalheads will appreciate as Taft shows us her impressive range.
Near the end, the dueling guitar and bass of “You’re So Bad” finds the tune being one of the most rhythmic, and “Crosshairs” ends the listen with a rowdy yet precise display of the band’s bristling hard rock formula.
The always fertile Twin Cities music scene has some fantastic talent currently (I’m looking at you, The Persian Leaps and Porcupine), and I feel pretty confident we can put West Of Corey on that esteemed list with this muscular, charged and timeless record.
Travels well with: Terry Datsun- Fable Of The Seas; Fred Argir- No Pushover