Texas Hippie Coalition Rollin’
by Mark Allen
Staff Writer
The saying goes that everything is bigger in the Lone Star State and Texas Hippie Coalition aim to prove that axiom on their sophomore album Rollin’. The southern metal band is fronted by Big Dad Ritch, a giant, tattooed, cowboy hat-wearing goliath of a man, but even bigger than Ritch’s imposing, wouldn’t-want-to-meet-him-in-a-dark-alley physique are the massive wall of guitars and the mammoth riffs that march ferociously across this release. Even the lyrics tap into that larger-than-life vibe with their single-minded focus on big, badass attitude.
Southern-fried metal can be a tough subgenre to nail, as proven by the lack of quality acts. Ask the average heavy music fan to rattle off a list of southern metal bands and you’ll hear Pantera, Alabama Thunderpussy, The Showdown, Black Label Society, Hellyeah, and maybe Maylene & the Sons of Disaster. After this, you’ll probably get blank stares, silent tongues, and shrugged shoulders. Well, to that relatively short list of bands that have figured out a successful southern metal formula you can add Texas Hippie Coalition.
The band first made noise on the hard and heavy scene with their independent debut album Pride of Texas. Big Dad Ritch’s impressively imposing stage presence combined with the requisite blood, sweat, and tears put them on the metal map and now they want to prove that their well-received debut wasn’t just a fluke. Their goal this time was to intensify the metal quotient while refusing to lose their Lone Star flavor. They have succeeded, but they walked a razor-thin line while doing so, as the pummeling metal that drips off this album like barbecue sauce off a rack of ribs comes dangerously close to overpowering that southern edge. In other words, this is the kind of southern metal album that even southern metal haters might actually enjoy.
Big Dad Ritch can bellow with the best of ‘em; there must be a huge set of lungs inside that beer barrel chest of his and he uses them very well whether singing, screaming, shouting, or growling the tunes. His vocals will not be to everyone’s taste, but they mesh will with the muscular, unpretentious metal on display here. He is backed by a hard-driving, rip-snorting, self-proclaimed “band of outlaws” who blaze through ten tracks of blistering metal like a wild bull blowing through a balsa wood fence. The guitar riffs are a highlight here: tsunami-sized, tough as nails, and bad to the bone. They demand you move your body and bang your head. Sitting still while these thundering grooves are slamming out of the speakers simply is not an option.
Production is handled by multi-platinum producer David Prater, whose Midas touch once propelled Firehouse and Dream Theater to the top of their genres (though make no mistake, Texas Hippie Coalition sounds nothing like those bands). If there is a flaw in the sonic quality, it’s that the lead guitars are too high in the mix, meaning when this album is cranked up—and it’s meant to be cranked—those guitars sometimes become a little shrill and piercing. But aside from this one production annoyance, the sound quality is as crisp, clean, and flawless as you’ve come to expect when Prater is the one twiddling the knobs.
So if you’re hungry for some bone-crushing riffs and more attitude than a pack of pissed off polecats, pick up a copy of this album. Despite the band’s name, there’s nothing even remotely hippy-ish about them…unless hippies have suddenly forsaken flower power for heavy metal. If Texas Hippie Coalition can keep up this kind of quality, they may soon find themselves rollin’ right to the top of the southern metal hierarchy.
Genre: Southern metal
Band:
Big Dad Rich (vocals)
Randy Cooper (guitar)
Crawfish (guitar)
John Exall (Bass)
Ryan Bennett (drums)
Track Listing
1. Intervention
2. Flawed
3. Rollin’
4. Jesus Freak
5. Pissed Off and Mad About It
6. Groupie Girl
7. Saddle Sore
8. Cocked & Loaded
9. Back From Hell
10. Beg
Carved Records
Hardrock Haven rating: 8.2/10