SLOUGH FEG – The Animal Spirits

The San Francisco-based band, The Lord Weird Slough Feg (a.k.a. Slough Feg), whose name is derived from a character in Irish mythology, is celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2010. They have been described as performing “Folk Metal”, a very uncommon sub-genre. Their latest and eighth full-length album, The Animal Spirits, is a very eclectic offering, which holds true to their ideal of taking a stand against mainstream music trends.

The music on The Animal Spirits could be described as if Thin Lizzy and Twisted Sister somehow copulated and reproduced. The vocals of lead singer/ guitarist Michael Scalzi are very reminiscent of the great Dee Snider. They are gritty and rough and come across as if his balls are continuously being squeezed while singing. Although Scalzi doesn’t appear to have an incredibly broad range, his high-end screeches mix well with the heavy guitar riffs displayed on each track.

All the tracks are laden with extremely dense riffs, which give the album an almost 70’s Rock sound. The dual guitar team of Angelo Tringali and Scalzi do an excellent job of performing the simultaneous riffs and melodies, as well as breaking off into tandem solos. You are not going to hear anything fast or shredding from the team, just pure, simple hardened riffs that drive the songs.

Some of the highlights on this album include the opening track “Trick The Vicar”, which is a faster song that sets the tone for the album’s heavy rock theme. Another great song is “Lycanthropic Fantasies”, which is a slower, driving melody that really brings out the inner Dee Snider from Scalzi. Arguably the best song on The Animal Spirits is “Second Coming,” which begins with an acoustic, story-telling piece and then melds into a beautiful rolling melody featuring some of the smoothest guitar solos heard on the album.

From a production standpoint, the music has a somewhat “garageband” feel. The band does appear to be playing live for each track. It is not really produced with cutting-edge clear precision, but still mixed well enough to hear each instrument very clearly.

Overall, Slough Feg is a good, quick listen and a good party album. About half of the eleven tracks are three minutes or less, so you get the sense some are underdeveloped from a songwriting stand point. That being said, Slough Feg does already have a cult fan base established, and since they do not play a mainstream genre of Metal, new fans will be far and few between.