SOUTHSIDE STRANGLERS (Devilled) MCD
Well, I do not share the view of music journalist T. Rozwadowski who described the music of Wisconsin's SOUTHSIDE STRANGLERS with the words: "Dirty, dangerous,...". For me 'Devilled' simply lacks of both. Now this does not mean that the included 7 songs do not have their appealing aspects. On the positive side, there is a tight musicianship and also the songwriting abilities are intact. As an example will serve 'The Raw Deal' that sounds as if later Helmet were reborn in the 1960's to play some kind of heavy garage rock. Or was it Queens Of The Stone Age instead of Helmet? Hm, hard to say.
One could now think, SOUTHSIDE STRANGLERS is the next retro rock gang, but this is definitely not the case. Their rock 'n' roll has a timeless quality and I'm pretty sure the 1960's and 1970's do not play an important role with regard to the band's musical influences. Sometimes SOUTHSIDE STRANGLERS do sound like a lean version of Fu Manchu, primarily due to the clean and laid-back vocal style of rhythm guitarist Dean Hoffman.
But, as I have already mentioned, their songs are too feeble for my taste. Moreover, there's a certain sameness what leads to the fact that 'Devilled' has no real highlights. I think it's safe to say that SOUTHSIDE STRANGLERS have delivered a decent debut. It's a solid start for an unknown band, but they need to do further work to get a leg to the ground.
(KK)