Rancid Vat--We Hate You All The Way From Texas
Steel Cage 2004
Having led Rancid Vat for over twenty years, husband and wife team Thee Whiskey Rebel and Marla Vee are back with the group's latest offering We Hate You All The Way From Texas. After suffering through many years in Oregon, then braving the hostility of Philadelphia, as the title suggests, the Irwin clan have relocated once more to Texas. This means a new lineup for the band, but if you think Rancid Vat have lost a step in the move you're more drunk out for your mind than the Reb himself.
While Rancid Vat have always served up their punk rock n' roll a little rough around the edges, it should be noted that this Texas lineup is much more burly sounding than the Philly formation was. A good deal of this can be attributed to the vocal stylings of new frontman The Texas Stud. His delivery is very gruff, carrying an El Duce-like menace with it. Needless to say, the Mentors-esque slant of We Hate You All The Way From Texas fits perfectly with Rancid Vat's modus operandi. This is still the ornery, pissed off, pro wrestling obsessed beast you've grown to love, but those sonic shifts are there.
Of course, as much as Rancid Vat have evolved over the years, any changes should come as no surprise. We Hate You All The Way From Texas shows these folks have retained a little piece from every step of their journey, in a songwriting context. The ominous wah-drenched warp of "The Frozen Dead" recalls noisier days from the band's past. A cover of the country & western staple "I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive" comes as close to Thee Whiskey Rebel's friends Hammerlock as this band have probably ever been. Rancid Vat even manage to acknowledge their northwestern roots by providing a take on the all-time classic Sonics garage rock slammer "Strychnine." Still, no other cut on this disc captures the essence of the new lineup the way "Hatred Is Sacred" does. Full of piss, vinegar, and of course whiskey, this one plays like the group's ultimate battlecry. Add all this to a killer Ric Flair tribute, "The Nature Boy," the AC/DC "Big Balls" shaded verses of the title track, a reworking of wrestler Exotic Adrian Street's boogie "Imagine What I Could Do To You," and a chance to hear Reb and Marla's son Elvis vocalizing Mark Arm style on a pair of Ramones covers and this thing just refuses to let up.
If you're already a Rancid Vat fan, you don't need to read this to know these folks ain't gonna let you down. Should you be new to the band, We Hate You All The Way From Texas is as good a starting point as any. Recommended to fans of all the aforementioned bands, as well as ANTiSEEN and the rest of their Confederacy of Scum compatriots. Huss!
Score this CD directly from STEEL CAGE
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