CD Review: Slaves On Dope – “Horse” (Independent Label Services, Inc.)
No offense and with all due respect to Slaves On Dope’s
2003 album Metafour, an album that
houses some of the best vocals frontman Jason Rockman ever laid to wax, Horse, the band’s latest, would have
been a better follow-up to 2000’s Inches
From The Mainline. While on Metafour
the band suppressed most of their screamy, angst-ridden vocals in order to
concentrate more on melody, Slaves on Dope seem to have found a perfect sonic
middle ground on Horse with steady
doses of Rockman’s gravelly-throated barks and guitarist Kevin Jardine’s
wah-wah-laced churning riffs (“Electric Kool-Aid,” “P&P”) and tempered
offerings that shine the light on Slaves on Dope’s penchant for crafting striking
hooks (“Freebasing,” “Disco Biscuit”). Slaves on Dope pull out all the stops on
Horse, including bringing out Run
DMC’s Darryl McDaniels on “Script Writer,” one of the albums most memorable
moments, where he shows he is still at the top of the rap game. And as for
guest appearances, that’s far from it as Mastodon’s Bill Kelliher lends some
six-string love to the sludgy and mountainous “Interplanetary Mission,”
legendary Bad Brains frontman H.R. delivers the grime on the menacing “Liquid
Sunshine” and songstress Lee-La Baum adds a unique vocal dynamic alongside
Rockman on “Codependency.” The idea of hope resonates throughout Horse, dripping off each word from the now
decades-sober Rockman. After nearly a quarter-century of Slaves on Dope being
in the business, Horse is proof
positive that you can in fact teach an old dog new tricks.
Grade: A-
Go Download: “P&P”
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