### Hail!Hornet: Disperse the curse

#### 24/08/11 || revenant

Ever fucked when drunk and not been able to cum? You push, grind, thrust, pound, change positions, push and grind some more, give it a little tug yourself before ramming it home for another go, but no matter what you do, you just can’t get it done even though you want to so so fucking much. In the end you give up, sweaty and frustrated. That kinda describes my feeling right now for this album. I really want to like this album. I try and try, listening when I can, I push and push trying to force it but for some reason I just can’t get into it. I know I should like it, their first album, which was fantastically reviewed in typical Kampfar style by, err, Kampfar (duh) before he disappeared into some Norwegian forest, was an absolute killer that both he and I put in our top 30 for the last decade. So why can’t I get into this?

Hail!Hornet, for those who need the introduction, are a sludge supergroup hailing from the whiskey drinking, wife beating, pickup driving and cousin fucking lands in the Southern US of A. Their self titled debut came out in 2007 but, Hail!Hornet not being the main priority of the members involved, have only now released their long awaited follow up. I have to admit I generally don’t get into sludge, mostly for the fact that 90% of it fucking sucks, but Hail!Hornet’s debut really hooked me in a big way. Their mix of up tempo hardcore numbers and slower doomy songs worked well, though the slower stuff always held greater appeal particularly with the down-tuned instrumentation. So what’s changed in 2011?

Well, not a lot. The sound essentially remains the same. The instruments are still down-tuned, the production matches the same gritty, grungy feel of the first album, vocals remain howling shrieks and all the musicianship (in particular the drumming) is par with their first effort. The music remains alcohol fueled, angry and downright filthy. The slower numbers radiate malice and the quicker numbers filled with vicious grooves. So why the fuck can’t I get into it?

In the end, I can only conclude this is a weaker product. My favorite tracks from the first album (the slow, creeping, doomy numbers) aren’t matched in the quality department here. Sure, album closer “Blacked out in broad daylight” delivers the goods, as does “Kill the liars”, but neither hit the epic standard that was set with songs like “He Who Walks Behind The Rose Bros.” or “Swarm of Malice”. As for the more up tempo numbers, the title track is great, but the tracks here aren’t are catchy and face stomping as those of the first album.

Alas, I will continue to blast this album, maybe it’ll click soon. All the elements are there, and maybe a bigger sludge fan than myself will get hooked a lot quicker than I have, but ultimately I just can’t enjoy this as much as their first.

- Information
- Released: 2011
- Label: Relapse Records
- Website: Hail!Hornet MySpace
- Band
- Troy Medlin: vocals
- Vince Burke: guitars
- “Dixie” Dave Collins: bass
- Erik Larson: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Shoot the Pigs
- 02. Gifted Horse
- 03. Disperse the Curse
- 04. Glass Roses
- 05. Beast of Bourbon
- 06. Kill the Liars
- 07. Unholy Foe
- 08. Suicide Belt
- 09. Dullards Creed
- 10. Scars
- 11. Blacked Out in Broad Daylight