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Dead Rabbits
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sin-eater
Overit Records
Release: 5/09/2006
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Rated:
Review by:
J Sherrod
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When I received the latest offering,
sin-eater, from upstate New York's Dead
Rabbits it included a bio page that quoted "For fans of Black
Label Society and Corrosion Of Conformity." Let me state
that I love BLS, and COC ranks in my
top-ten-bands-of-all-time so I figured I'd love these guys.
Well, here's my verdict...
It's OK to take influence from bands, as long as it stays just
that - but keep it within reason. Damn near every song on
this disc walks a fine line of copyright infringement. "Open
Season" starts things off with a blast, and I'm enjoying it
until the chorus comes along and reminds me a lot of COC's
"Damned For All Time" off the Blind album. No
big deal, still a good song. "Trust" follows up and starts off a
little bit like a Down song from theNola record,
but not too similar and then the song changes tempo and
moves along while a blistering guitar solo ensues. Good solid
song but nothin' to do cartwheels over. By the time third
song, "Once Upon A Cross," gets going, I can almost swear
I'm listening to COC's "Albatross" from
Deliverance. This is starting to become a
problem for me as I continue to listen.
"Till I Die" passes by fairly uneventfully, then "Miles Away"
begins with the same reverse-tape sound as "Vote With A
Bullet" from COC. That's right, there's a serious pattern
forming here. "Sleep" is sixth in line with more Down-
flavored guitars and even another "Albatross" riff. "Away
From The Sun" shows the band's BLS influence but doesn't
utilize any exact riffs - as far as I can tell. Zakk
Wylde-esque vocal effects are used in this song, as well as
signature Zakk guitar squeals.
My biggest gripe has to do with the song "Fly On." Taking
more influence from Zakk's first solo endeavor, Pride &
Glory, than it does from BLS, this song's chorus sounds
damn near exactly like P&G's "Shine On" - regardless of the
similar verses and grooves. The more I listened to this song
the more unhappy I became.
Thirteen tracks are listed on the CD, but bonus tracks include
a less-than-stellar rendition of CCR's "Fortunate Son." Unlike
most of the songs on this album, there are no vocal effects
used here, so you get a true feel for the vocalists capability
(or lack thereof). Then there's "Paegen Love Song" followed
by Jimi Hendrix's classic, "Little Wing." Hasn't this song been
covered enough? A more rare Hendrix song would have
been a much-needed highlight for this album.
Perhaps I've been a little harsh on these boys or maybe I've
just listened to my COC albums one to many times. For the
most part, this is a solid record with strong music and decent
grooves - just not very original ones. It's also just a tad bit
under-mastered. After playing this on three different sound
systems, I still couldn't get the desired power from the
album.
Nothing about this record left me with what makes Dead
Rabbits unique. To a young kid who's unfamiliar with COC,
BLS or Down, or one who's just a casual listener of the
bands,
sin-eater would be a great album to rock out
on. For me, and others who are fans of those bands, we
already have most of this album in our collections. |
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