‘Peacemaker’ is the third album from Texan metal outfit Texas Hippie Coalition. The band play what they describe as ‘red dirt metal’, a surprisingly apt description for their potent brew of sippin’ whiskey-powered metal which is, roughly speaking, 2 parts Pantera to one part each of Black label Society and Monster Magnet – a cocktail of no insignificant strength. Utilising heavy guitars with a serious leather-clad groove, industrial strength percussion and throbbing bass lines, all held together with vocals which are hard as flint and yet still melodic, ‘Peacemaker’ is a true, thoroughly American record which draws upon a legion of southern influences to deliver a gut punch with real attitude.
Opening track ‘Hand’s up’ tells you all you need to really know about the album. The vocals are pure rock ‘n’ roll attitude, delivered in whiskey-soaked tones that are surely the twisted progeny of Dave Wyndorff and Phil Anselmo, the guitars a solid wall of warm, fuzzy tones redolent of the desert at sun-down, solos wailing over the top on demand; and the track itself possessed of a mighty groove that is as irrepressible as it is guaranteed to make you move. ‘Damn you to hell’ is the perfect musical incarnation of its title – a long, drawn out cry of rage delivered over chugging guitars that churn and grind over the rock-solid beat. It’s Pantera’s spirit tempered by a love of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Johnny Cash with red-hot desert-rock overtones that scorch and burn as you listen, not least on the excellent ‘seconds’ with its addictive riff lodging itself in your tinder-dry and hung-over brain and a biting solo cutting through the mix to make you want to play air-guitar till you drop. It’s just that sort of record.
On listening to ‘outlaw’ it finally clicks: Texas Hippie Coalition’s great strength is that their music makes you, more than anything, want to get up and do… something. It’s that brand of adrenalin-generating, beautifully genuine rock ‘n’ roll music that inspires and excites in equal measure. Like that feeling you get when you put on ‘vulgar display of power’, ‘powertrip’ or ‘black label society’, it makes your blood pump through your veins and possess you of a desire to pick up a guitar / pick up some mates and some beer / head-bang the night away – anything to dispel the raging energy that floods your body when you hear the band’s mighty riffs begin to pound away at you. ‘Turn it up’ is, similarly, a command that you feel compelled to obey (this can be distressing for any neighbours in the vicinity who don’t share your world view so it’s probably best to avoid playing this record late at night!) and ‘wicked’ is exactly that – a pulverising riff that grinds across the mid-tempo beat whilst the vocals once again seal the deal, delivered in a brilliantly gritty drawl that is laden with attitude and aggression. Opening with an acoustic strum, ‘Don’t come lookin’’ is a classic rock outlaw song that recalls hints of Zakk Wylde on ‘Book of Shadows’ with its memorable chorus and guitar-pyrotechnics. So few people make music like this and even fewer do it well, that listening to Texas Hippie Coalition is an awesome experience from start to finish, the band’s determination and rock ‘n’ roll spirit shining through every riff and every whiskey-soaked syllable
A particular highlight of the album comes in the form of ‘Sex & drugs & rock and roll’, a slow burning heavy metal delight with a chorus that should surely be the official anthem of all metallers everywhere. ‘Paw paw hill’ kicks off with a cotton-pickin’ tune before slamming into a massive riff set to stun and then it’s the turn of the album’s title track to slink out of the speakers. Like a black clad cowboy silhouetted against the sun, the track oozes a sense of menacing cool that most bands would spend years trying to perfect and yet which seems to come naturally to THC who simply swig from their whiskey bottle and kick out another earth-shaking riff. All too soon the album reaches its conclusion and ‘Think of me’ comes on like Guns ‘n’ Roses – the piano-led ballad a rare, reflective moment for a band who, up till this point, have kept the pedal firmly to the metal. It’s a fine, sobering end to an album that otherwise is an alcohol-soaked riot from start to finish.
It takes only the first few seconds of the first track to realise that THC are the real deal. Musically tight, the vocals seal the deal and as the band’s music roars out of the speakers, no matter what time you are listening, you will feel the energy surge through your veins as the band kick out their unreconstructed southern metal grooves. Here you will find melody, aggression, attitude and spirit and there is a sense that the album, as powerful as it is, is but a trailer for the live THC experience which must surely be immense. ‘Peacemaker’ is a blinding Southern rock album chock full of attitude and delivered with a skill and fiery passion that leaves all others gasping in its dusty wake. Highly recommended.
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