REVIEW: THE MIGHTY SWINE - LAST MAN STANDING
Latest from The Mighty Swine is solid for many reasons. Not the least is that they made a heavier record than their last, which is always good, plus it achieves this without over-powering you with blocked out dynamics. You can listen to the album time and time again without ear fatigue, which too is always good. The new album from the swine carries the fine tradition of hard rock fused with what today is known as classic metal and polish it out with wicked groove and above par songwriting both lyrically and musically. I found this album staying on the daily playlist for some time once it achieved that status amongst the contenders. Overall it's excellent and some of the best new classic American Metal I've heard in '014.
Some of the stand-outs include the band rocking hard with Empty Shell; a big pounding beat, wicked riffs and a shout-along chorus. As throughout the album the guitars growl, the kick and toms stay fully engaged, bass propelling a steady drive with lead applied as necessary. Really good albums of this genre cannot live without smoking lead guitar, killer riffs, and something you can holler to. The Mighty Swine brings them home for ya and puts them on the table.
Big breaks compliment the arrangements, starting off when the needle drops (pun intended) with All That Is Evil. There is plenty of gear changing as the machine churns and the power chords burn on the road warrior anthem Thick as Thieves. It is good to see bands standing for rock n roll revolution! Showing they can write traditional hard rock melodies, The Mighty Swine offer the fine Pool Of Emptiness, one of the 3 or 4 easy singles on the album. They crank it up a notch as they roar through title cut Last Man Standing, which transitions nicely into Tomorrow, one of a number of introspective themed songs on the album. Did I mention the songwriting was really good on the new release? x
Then you've got an absolute cooker with Vengeance Is Mine. A huge galloping verse which serves as the main push for the chorus that segues into an atmospheric interlude before coming back to repeat a different verse chorus. Simple. Effective. They didn't even have to use any lead in that one. Throughout the entire album drummer Jeff Tong gives it hell, far above just time keeping. He is a major driving force within the band. Hell man the band even gives a shout out to the blues, in their own special way, with Rite Of Passage. Showing deeper roots from which the swine cometh. The band is not afraid to visit darker places, and that keeps it honest, and that much more heavy. Get it for the collection.
Contact: http://themightyswine.com/
(this review will appear in Issue 56 of The Underground Sound @ http://undergroundrecords.org/sound)
Latest from The Mighty Swine is solid for many reasons. Not the least is that they made a heavier record than their last, which is always good, plus it achieves this without over-powering you with blocked out dynamics. You can listen to the album time and time again without ear fatigue, which too is always good. The new album from the swine carries the fine tradition of hard rock fused with what today is known as classic metal and polish it out with wicked groove and above par songwriting both lyrically and musically. I found this album staying on the daily playlist for some time once it achieved that status amongst the contenders. Overall it's excellent and some of the best new classic American Metal I've heard in '014.
Some of the stand-outs include the band rocking hard with Empty Shell; a big pounding beat, wicked riffs and a shout-along chorus. As throughout the album the guitars growl, the kick and toms stay fully engaged, bass propelling a steady drive with lead applied as necessary. Really good albums of this genre cannot live without smoking lead guitar, killer riffs, and something you can holler to. The Mighty Swine brings them home for ya and puts them on the table.
Big breaks compliment the arrangements, starting off when the needle drops (pun intended) with All That Is Evil. There is plenty of gear changing as the machine churns and the power chords burn on the road warrior anthem Thick as Thieves. It is good to see bands standing for rock n roll revolution! Showing they can write traditional hard rock melodies, The Mighty Swine offer the fine Pool Of Emptiness, one of the 3 or 4 easy singles on the album. They crank it up a notch as they roar through title cut Last Man Standing, which transitions nicely into Tomorrow, one of a number of introspective themed songs on the album. Did I mention the songwriting was really good on the new release? x
Then you've got an absolute cooker with Vengeance Is Mine. A huge galloping verse which serves as the main push for the chorus that segues into an atmospheric interlude before coming back to repeat a different verse chorus. Simple. Effective. They didn't even have to use any lead in that one. Throughout the entire album drummer Jeff Tong gives it hell, far above just time keeping. He is a major driving force within the band. Hell man the band even gives a shout out to the blues, in their own special way, with Rite Of Passage. Showing deeper roots from which the swine cometh. The band is not afraid to visit darker places, and that keeps it honest, and that much more heavy. Get it for the collection.
Contact: http://themightyswine.com/
(this review will appear in Issue 56 of The Underground Sound @ http://undergroundrecords.org/sound)