Black Earth-That's right we're goin' ballz deep

Big Ape
2008

Sometimes I look at a CD cover before playing the disc and wonder what the band's music might be like. For this particular entry with a name like "Black Earth" I was expecting something heavy. As for the title and cover I was expecting something with a sense of humor and a raw nastiness to it (in a good way). Low and behold when I played to disc it was heavy, humorous and had a slight nasty edge to it. Although it certainly went beyond just that simple prediction in some aspects. This is kind of basic, but pleasing down and dirty stoner rock in the style of Fu Manchu, Roadsaw and Nebula. Although I would say there is perhaps much more of an emphasis on a stripped down rock feel than on the fuzzed out riffs that dominate the music by other bands in this genre. Perhaps they slip in just as much AC/DC and Ramones as they do Black Sabbath only they honor all of their influences with the same amount of enthusiasm. This Austin, Texas trio waste little time or build-up in biting into the rabid style of rock. With song titles such as "Damn you", "Fuck all y'all" and "What ever happened (to drinking whiskey and kickin' ass)" you kind of know (or hope) that there is more of a focus on the music than on the lyrics. That's okay though because the music is a fine attempt at being real, no-apologies style rock. I only have two minor complaints with the first being that with only eight tracks it seemed like the CD ended a little too abruptly. The other is that the closer "More than friends" is a slow song and it just didn't feel like the most appropriate way to close an album like this. Still as a whole it was an enjoyable album and I took to it on the first play.

http://www.myspace.com/blackearth