Weedeater

Jason....the Dragon

Southern Lord 2011

After an ominous intro of insistent pounding and a sample, the southern tinged doom of American crushers Weedeater gets underway.  Thick, sludgy riffs, as large as mountains and as slowly undulating as rolling hills rise up to meet us on Hammerhandle.  Dixie's vocals sound as if he is singing through an ashtray.  The track bleeds seamlessly into Mancoon, which increases tempo for a bouncier flow to the track.  The southern rock influence is omnipresent throughout this album and you can hear that bluesy wail buried beneath mammoth riffs easily on this track.  There are no breaks between tracks, though the reverb that shifts into a slow drudge as Turkey Warlock gets underway is as close as we'll get.  The ashen molasses riffs, drip from the speakers which throb with sludged-out reverb.  The guitars on the title track swirl like slowly exhaled smoke while Dixie's vocals reek of southern depravity and backwoods debauchery.  The twangy guitar and lazy bass on Palms and Opium make the song feel like a southern folk ditty sung around a dying campfire.  And then the lumbering weight of filthy riffs on Long Gone threaten to smash me into dust as the songs marches towards obliveon.  The compositional mold is broke on March of the Bipolar Bear which is a drum instrumental.  Homecoming infuses the latter part of the album with a hint of optimism as warm, fuzzy riffs uplift you.  The songs are all short, quick-hitters giving an almost punk-ethos to the albums execution.  Weedeater's latest opus is a filthy mixture of southern doom and jaded backwoods wisdom.  The syrupy riffs are coated with grime as the guitars spew forth weed drenched smoke.  It is these cyclopean riffs that drive Jason....The Dragon.  Prepare to be burnt out and pulverized.