Hellstomper--Are You From Dixie?
D-FENS 2004
With classic albums like Hillbilly Motherfucker under their belts, it'd be easy to assume things have always been a breeze for Hellstomper. However, things couldn't be further from the truth. There was actually a time when this great band teetered on the brink of dissolving into oblivion. Are You From Dixie compiles the recorded output from this bleak period in Hellstomper's history. It stands as a monument to their unbreakable will and power.
The first half of Are You From Dixie is comprised of Hellstomper's tracks off their Baloney Shrapnel split with Before I Hang. A far cry from the streamlined Skynyrd-via-moonshine still sound they've perfected over time, these efforts are much more akin to those of C.o.S. allies Cocknoose and Antiseen, albeit with a country and western influence shining through. This is, for the most part, brutal, thuggish, unforgiving stuff but just as great as everything else they do. This particular set is made up mostly of covers and emphasizes the reason Hellstomper were able to sustain in the midst of crisis--their music is reverently rooted in its influences, an element missing from many of the thousand punk rock bands who've come and gone since.
The rest of Are You From Dixie is filled with Hellstomper's contributions from the Confederacy of Scum Supershow '97 disc. This set shows that Hellstomper weren't ready to be put in mothballs, by any stretch of the imagination, in spite of their unstable lineup of the time. This is the picture of a band defiant in the face of distress, lifting two proverbial middle fingers to Maximum Rock & Roll on "Berkley In A Box" for a bad review given to the band by the zine. The rest of the set chugs along like a spiked steamroller, the band laying waste to all in their path. To cap it all off, Are You From Dixie concludes with a strong and much welcome studio version of the aforementioned song.
Things may have been rough for Hellstomper during the time this disc documents, but you'd never know giving this thing a listen. Everything on Are You From Dixie flows with the greatest of ease and it's all a joy to take in. As the greatest of the greats always seem to do, Hellstomper make it look like old hat on this slab. A definite keeper and an important chapter to consume from this band's stellar legacy.
Score this CD directly from D-FENS
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