10. The Lord Weird Slough Feg (aka Slough Feg) -
Twilight of the Idols, Down Among the Deadmen, Traveler, Atavism, Hardworlder, Ape Uprising!, Animal Spirits Genre: Metal with flashes of progressive and folk influences
For fans of: People who want to rock out, people who like short fun instrumental bits, people who want the prog but not the wankery
What makes this special: All of their albums are just fun to listen to. Always energetic, sometimes playful, sometimes complex, sometimes folky, sometimes spacey, sometimes aggressive, but always fun.
I’m going to be honest. I don’t expect to get anywhere with this band I love dearly. I get the feeling they aren’t too progressive, complex, and wonky for the prog crowd, not folky enough for the folk metal crowd, or too metal for the non-metal crowd. Whatever it is, I’ve tried a few times to introduce them to people and if just hasn’t taken, so here I am again. Sadly, the two people who I think would really enjoy this band probably don’t tread in this thread and will miss it, and I’m not going to be a jerk and call them out.
Slough Feg’s sound has evolved over time.
Twilight of the Idols and
Down Among the Deadmen are two of the folkier-metal albums, and are clearly influenced by Scottish history and fantasy elements. They aren’t all demons and fairytales though, as their live staple Traders and Gunboats is a spiritual prelude to their next album, and probably my favorite, the story album
Traveler.
Traveler is a concept/story album based in the 70s space RPG of the same name. Quite simply,
Traveler is in my top 5 concept albums. The story is exciting and unique, the instrumental sections are hard, fast, and exciting. The album never wanders off course, and is a concise 44 minutes, and it is 44 minutes full of excitement, riffage, and story that grabs you by the short and curlies and doesn’t let go.
Atavism sonically is more like
Traveler, but doesn’t stick to a theme. Following the same plan, Atavism doesn’t stick around any longer than it needs to, clocking in at just over 38 minutes with no song being longer than 4:13. But each song is a ride unto itself. Catchy instrumental tracks like “Portcullis” pepper the album as songs like “I Will Kill You/You Will Die” and “Hiberno-Latin Invasion” have you head banging in time to some killer hooks and toe-tapping to the bass line. Again, this album is just fun and energetic.
Hardworlder improves upon everything the band accomplished in
Atavism, and is easily my second favorite Slough Feg album. The formula is the same – short, catchy, fun songs and powerful short instrumentals.
Ape Uprising! is a slight departure in that the band tries their hand at a longer song and is the gloomiest and darkest sounding album, and thankfully pull it off quite well.
Ape Uprising! is a concept album that is a homage to “The Planet of the Apes”. Sonically, it’s still the same fun riffs, lyrical silliness, and attention grapping music.
The Animal Spirits is a return to the short, rapid-fire songs and probably the most humor laden album. These write-ups are getting shorter because I’m sure your attention is waning, but the music doesn’t.
The Animal Spirits is an excellent album that gets routine spins from me.
In summary, check these guys out. They are the perfect remedy if you like prog metal but are burnt out on it. If you’re not, you’ll still appreciate the instrumental madness and catchy hooks.
Tracks to Try (sorted by album):
Twilight of the Idols: Highlander, The Wickerman, Life in the Dark Age
Down Among the Deadmen: Sky Chariots, Traders and Gunboats, Walls of Shame
Traveler: THE WHOLE DAMN ALBUM
Atavism: I Will Kill You/You Will Die, Portcullis, Hiberno-Latin Invasion
Hardworlder: Tiger! Tiger!, Hardworlder, Whirling Vortex
Ape Uprising!: Overborne, Ape Uprising, Simian Manifesto
The Animal Spirits: The 95 Thesis, Free Market Barbarian, Lycanthropic Fantasies