Death Denied: Appetite for Booze (EP 2011)

Review

The bassist of Death Denied contacted me about their EP Appetite for Booze. He identified their style as "unoriginal southern metal". I'm not sure if they have any idea how much I love southern metal. I haven't talked about it a lot, so they'd have to dig to figure that one out. In college I played the first few Black Label Society albums more than anything else, and Corrosion of Conformity's mid-period work wasn't far behind. I still occasionally break out Pride & Glory.

Submitting your music to a huge fan of the genre is usually a pretty safe bet. They're predisposed to liking you. But on the other hand, they've heard a lot of it, so if you're no good at it then you can get torn apart. And these guys are from Poland, so what the hell do they know about the original, southern branch of sludge metal?


Enough to qualify for Confederate citizenship. Your passports (featuring the picture of President Jefferson Davis) are in the mail, gentlemen.

The description he provided is spot-on. These guys sound almost exactly like what I consider COC's golden era. Considering the fact COC aren't pursuing that style anymore, it's a hole that needed to be filled. The riffs are solid, the solos are cool, and there are more vocal hooks than there are stars on the rebel flag.

If that's not enough to convince you, know that Vogg (of Decapitated/Vader fame) puts in a guest appearance. Plus, you can get it free.



The Verdict: With COC out of the game, BLS barely treading water, and Down taking too long between albums, I've been in dire need of something like this. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.