This is the debut album from Steve Austin in his new form of classic outlaw country/bluegrass, yet he has been on the music scene for more than 30 years as co-founder and leader of American noise rock and experimental metal band Today is the Day. He has released fourteen albums, played over a thousand shows worldwide, earned induction into the Decibel Hall Of Fame, and produced landmark records including Lamb Of God’s ‘New American Gospel’ and Converge’s ‘When Forever Comes Crashing’, but now he is back to his roots, going back to the music he grew up with at home. On this release he provides guitar, vocals and bass and he has been joined by Dana Flood (pedal steel, dobro, Hall Of Fame sideman for Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, and George Jones), Ryu Bennett (fiddle) and Colin Frecknall (drums).
It is really difficult to reconcile what I am listening to against the knowledge that he has said his major influences are Death, Slayer, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Motörhead, U2, Napalm Death, Butthole Surfers, Eyehategod, Miles Davis, Morbid Angel, Unsane, Melvins, Bauhaus, and the Jesus Lizard, and that his band have themselves influenced the likes of The Dillinger Escape Plan and Hatebreed, as this is as far removed from metal, noise and grindcore as one can imagine. Musically this is taking us back in time, but sadly the production has taken away some of the angst and pain and smoothed over what should be more emotionally fraught. The wailing fiddle and picked guitars combined with the pedal steel makes us think of the Forties and Fifties, but sometimes it just feels too commercial and less outlaw and more mainstream.
It is an enjoyable album, but not as rough as I feel it deserves to be, now only if there was a live album with just Steve on guitar…
Rating: 7/10
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