'The Dirt Road To
Inspiration'
Milwaukee's Lockjaw may
not be an international name, but the US-based industrial metal band
have been slogging away for years and scoring support slots with acts
such as Mudvayne, Type O Negative, Wednesday 13, Prong, KMFDM,
Powerman 5000, Lords of Acid and Marilyn Manson. An impressive
curriculum vitae by anyone's standards. The band have now released
their ninth album 'The Dirt Road To Inspiration'. A blend of slow and
hard southern metal riffs accented with sexy electronics.
The band's sound
recalls the likes of early gODHEAD, White Zombie, Pigface and Prong.
Quintessentially American and with a nod to the post-Wax Trax /
Nothing Records atmosphere of the 90s alternative scene. Songs like
'Good Girls Go To Hell', 'Divine', 'Earth Bound', 'Passive
Aggressive' and 'The Great Oppression' are ruthlessly addictive with
their memorable riffs, danceable tempos and sing-a-long lyrics. The
band even throw a couple of curve balls at the listener with the dark
country strains of 'Waiting Room' and the restrained sexiness of
'Black Clementine'.
The production is a
little rough around the edges and in the odd place the mix seems to
go a little awry when the vocal effects get a bit swamped by the
other electronics. However, this is a raw and honest portrait of the
band's sound. What you hear is what you get; heavy, groove-laden
industrial metal that couldn't fail to tick the boxes for most
people.
Nine albums in and the
Midwest's best kept secret have a real attention grabber on their
hands with 'The Dirt Road To Inspiration'. Fifteen years of hard work
has been finely honed into a catchy and well-rounded industrial metal
album. With the right label backing and promotion there's no reason
why Lockjaw couldn’t break their regional bonds and strike out
further afield across the nation.