AMERICAN DOG - Scars N Bars

AMERICAN DOG
Scars N Bars
Independent Release
7/10




Brandishing a rough and bluesy feel, American Dog gets down and dirty here on “Scars-N-Bars”, an album that is certain to appeal to fans of ballsy, fired up, working class anthems. The album cover, which features the trio sitting atop a mountain of beer cans, says it all.

These guys have certainly blown through a bar or a thousand, grinding it out on the touring circuit and have seen plenty of partying along the way. American Dog certainly aren’t lightweights by any means, this is music that is about as real as it gets.

You can imagine that there has to be a line of Harleys parked outside of every venue they rock to the floor as Michael Hannon busts out dirty sounding vocals and pounding bass lines while Steve Theado masterfully mixes soulful blues and cranked up, edgy guitars in order to create some of the finest hell raisin’ anthems this side of the Mason-Dixon Line.

From the raunchy rock of “Faded” to the up-tempo brawl igniter “Got You By A Chain”, which is reminiscent of Nashville Pussy, American Dog have what it takes to get a room rocking until way past closing time. The band’s lyrics are oft times filled with sly innuendo that lend a bad boy attitude to this group’s rough around the edges style of playing.

Drummer Keith Pickens keeps things moving and opts to accent the stringed instruments and ride out big beats as opposed to busying things up with too many fills and time switches, which works well for the band’s style. Mind you, things aren’t always cranked up to 10.

On tracks like “Sunday Buzz” and “Another Lost Weekend” the band slide into a low key blues approach that mixes up the album as well as showcases their proficiency at pulling some advanced techniques from the genre.

American Dog certainly are no greenhorns stylistically, these guys can throw down when they have to and ease up a bit when appropriate. If you find yourself attracted to the bluesier side of metal, this is a without a doubt, a great album to get you in the mood to toss back a few cold ones and get a little crazy!


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