MOLLY HATCHET 'Warriors Of The Rainbow Bridge'
SPV 085-70392(2005)
In the wake of the recent passing of original vocalist Danny Joe Brown, the
latest line-up have released yet another great album. Classic American hard
rock with a very heavy southern bent from one of the best southern rock
bands around.
In fact it’s a very heavy album with a serious solid and polished sound and production, and still more southern than many
contemporaries, who have taken the AOR route. With two guitars, keyboards and plenty of backing vocals, it’s a big sound too.
Opener “Son Of The South” sets the tone well, with Phil McCormack’s vocals
bluesy, hard and sharp as ever. Not as whiskey soaked as DJB, he comes
mighty close to that classic Hatchet sound.
Guitarist Bobby Ingram and pianist John Galvin, who have done a fine job in
keeping the name alive over the last few years, are on fine form here. And
alongside Ingram is original guitarist Dave Hlubek, so we get chunky riffs
and some neat solos too.
Overall this is a harder rock album than anything produced in the 80s or
90s, but there’s a serious nod in the southern direction to please fans new
and old.
“Flames Are Burning” takes a more ballad approach, the piano working well,
but the guitars sill at the fore.
In places you get a touch of the non-clichéd end of AC/DC, the blues that
prominent. And in “Behind The Bedroom Door” there’s a real hint of sweet
Dixie.
The closing “Rainbow Bridge” is an epic, a classic, a real tennis racket
moment. The duelling guitars are Molly Hatchet and Southern Rock and their
best, and no mistake.
****½
Review by Joe Geesin
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