StoneRider – Three Legs of Trouble (Trustkill)

If Izzy Stradlin had quit Guns N’ Roses directly after Appetite for Destruction, formed his own band and released an album of songs that sound like “Dust N’ Bones,” you might end up with something like what StoneRider have accomplished on Three Legs of Trouble. Three Legs of Trouble‘s ten mid-tempo songs of 3-4 minute Southern blues-rock slabs injected with a sleaze-rock, scarves-bandanas-and-vests sensibility would make Stradlin proud. With names like Neil “Staxxx” Warren and Champ Champagne and lyrics like “Hard Times, Fast Livin’, I got the Juice Man, Yeah I’m still livin’,” — the sleaze element forces itself into their otherwise straight Southern approach. And for the most part they’re damn good at it, though no one song on Three Legs of Trouble is a bonafide hit or anthem. Tasty blues licks constantly percolate under Matthew Tanner’s smoky vocals as the band drives ahead in 4/4 with their Les Pauls plugged into their cranked-to-11 Marshalls. Apparently these same band members used to comprise the still-Southern-but-more-metallicized Fight Paris, but the fact that they’ve included a cover of Nazareth’s “Hair of the Dog” this time around should give you a better idea of where the band members’ heads are at now. They should stick with it; it suits them quite well, and Three Legs of Trouble is a damn decent Rock N’ Roll record.

-VN

(three out of five horns)

[StoneRider on MySpace]

The big Tuesday for politics may be next week, but today is the first important release date of the year for metal. Let’s take a look at what you can now easily pirate buy at your local record store on this fine day:

• Stonerider – Three Legs of Trouble (Trustkill) – Southern-fried rawk n’ roll, Crowes Mule & Roses, if you will.
• Bullet for My Valentine – Scream Aim Fire (Jive / SonyBMG) – One of the biggest releases so far this year, coming from Welsh second-gen metalcore quartet previously known as nu-metallers Jeff Killed John. (Read our review here.)
• The Mars Volta – The Bedlam in Goliath (Universal) – Fourth album from progiffied funk spazz freaks, ex-At the Drive In. (Read our detailed retrospective on the band.)
• Tiles – Fly Paper (InsideOut) – Progressive hard rockers from Detroit who have been round a while, and have toured with the likes of Dream Theater.
• Airbourne – Runnin’ Wild (Roadrunner) – Australian AC/DC-influenced AC/DC rock that sounds like AC/DC. Nuff said.
• Steve Stevens – Memory Crash (Magna Carta) – Solo shredfest from ex-Vince Neil and longtime Billy Idol axeslinger.
• Course of Nature – Damaged (Silent Majority) – Nickelcreedbenjaminseetherhinderback.
• Protest the Hero, Fortress (Vagrant) – Post-prog, shred-tastic, metal and hardcore-influenced amazingness. One of the most important records of 2008 so far.