Red Fang

On their self-titled debut, Red Fang don't waste any time establishing themselves as a band that destroys amps, beers, and eardrums in equal measure. With a sound rooted in the down-and-dirty sound of classic metal and stoner rock, the band is like a hyper-energized Mountain, tearing through fuzzed-out Southern rock-style riffs song after song without ever giving the dust they kick up time to settle. With no studio trickery or conceptual weirdness at work, the album is a refreshing island in a sea of increasingly heady and convoluted heavy metal. Red Fang shows that with the right combination of pacing, volume, and swagger, the rest just kind of falls into place. ~ Gregory Heaney