Red Fang

Last month the self titled debut album of Portland Oregon’s Red Fang was released and I was finally able to get my hands on a copy of it. You may recall the band from their over the top funny beer infused Dungeons and Dragons video for the first single Prehistoric Dog that we discussed back in January. This self titled release put out by Sargent House Records actually captures the bands first two ep’s that saw a limited release on Wantage Records. You can now purchase the album online at itunes & on amazon making it widely available to all. The band consist of Bryan Giles, Aaron Beam, David Sullivan, & John Sherman all of who played in various bands and had known each other before finally coming together in late 2006 to form Red Fang. Though they seem to get a lot of press as a metal band Red Fang is a cumulative of various influences. I think they are some kind of three headed beast combining equal parts of Metal, Punk, & Hard Rock. Think of it as a menage a trois of Black Sabbath, Black Flag, and Motorhead. One thing is for sure with their sound they mean are not there to fuck around. They sound like they roll into your town, drink your beer, lay your girls, and kick your ass, but you are going to love every second of it. All the songs are delivered in a straight ahead rock your face off assault. They start out with the very well delivered first single “Prehistoric Dog” that shows off their catchy riffs. They continue moving forward with “Reverse Thunder” & “Night Destroyer” that continue their low end chugging riffs and dexteritous leads. The one song that seems to stand out from the rest of the group though is also the longest song (just over six minutes) ”Humans Remain Human Remains” that comes off as an Isis like slow grinding build. The album pulls back into top gear next with one of my favorite songs on the album “Good to Die” that is a fist pumping beer chugging ride. The second half of the album is more of the same with Red Fang’s signature 3-4 minute songs and more monster riffs.The songs “Sharks” seems to stand out the most out of the second half because of its head banging breakdown in the middle of the song. Overall this is a fun album that I’ve been enjoying blasting around town. The band is not breaking any new ground, but what they are doing they seem to enjoy and it comes through in the music. Also, it should be said that they do what they do very well, and what seems to set them apart from some of their peers is their ability to write a driving riff that remains catchy. That catchiness and their propensity for a punk sound will probably drive away some of the “true metal” crowd, but they will make up for that with the many other fans who enjoy a heavy riff to bang their head along with. Fans of the Clutch, Sword, Melvins, and other similar bands will find themselves enjoying these guys. Red Fang’s first collection of songs is a fun listen it will be interesting to see where they go next. 1. Prehistoric Dog 4:28 2. Reverse Thunder 3:15 3. Night Destroyer 3:12 4. Humans Remain Human Remains 6:28 5. Good To Die 3:29 6. Bird on Fire 3:08 7. Wings of Fang 2:49 8. Sharks 2:26 9. Whales and Leeches 4:21 10. Witness 2:37