Album Details

• Artist: Barn Burner
• Album: Bangers Ii - Scum Of The Earth
• Label: Metal Blade
• Year of Release: 2011
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: solitaryman on 2011-10-22

Like a blast from the past that seems miles ahead of it's time, Barn Burner are representative of a multitude of heavy metal staples. The catchiness and attitude of the core metal sound, the swagger of classic hard rock, and the resulting meshing of sounds to create what is commonly known as the "stoner" sound. Overblown, riff-addled monsters accumulate to make Bangers II - Scum Of The Earth one of the most frantic and undeniably awesome metal albums you'll find this year.

Every track does is absolute best to pummel you with tempo, melody, and a violent attitude that is far more carefree than many of their more serious contemporaries. This is a band whom, I imagine, beyond obviously taking care to offer up technicaly proficient and excellently written music, tend to get piss drunk leading up to, during, and after a gig. Don't mistake this for sleaze, however; the attitude of Scum Of The Earth is altogether headbanging metal through and through. Every last song stands out from the next, but rising above them all are the likes of "Keg Stand and Deliver", "Brother Fear" and "Ghost Jam", all offering the most pivotal and provocative in terms of riffage and overall songwriting. The guitar tandem of frontman Kevin Keegan (whose vocals are top notch and a bit of a mix of many styles thrust into one impressive set of pipes) and Cameron Noakes provide so much in the way of riffage, blazing leads and solos, that one feels altogether spoiled throughout the record.

This record is undeniably excellent, and the only true hold-up is how it all sort of blends together after awhile. This is an album's worth of great songs, that can and probably should be enjoyed one at a time rather than viewed as a total package. The studio does the band some level of justice, but I can only imagine this sound being custom-built for the big stage. Make room in your listening schedule for some Barn Burner, and don't be bothered by the involintary headbanging; it happens to the best of us.  

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