Traveller Supplement 1: The Ephemeral Glades
The Lord Weird Slough Feg (now reclaiming the full name after years of just "Slough Feg") have been a long-running band with uneven output. Their catalog contains undeniable masterworks like Down Among the Deadmen, Hardworlder, and Traveller, but it's been a long time since they produced anything that good, and despite their restless creativity, their songwriting had drifted far from what they used to do.
This EP is an effort to take a conscious step back to their classic sound, acting as a continuation of the story from Traveller musically as well as lyrically. Given the barn-burning air-guitar-fest of Traveller, it's a high bar to clear, and they don't quite, but in terms of mood and sound they nail that offbeat Heavy Metal sound they used to do so well and apparently still can when they want to. If this doesn't measure up to the album it is echoing, it is still a clear, keen statement that this band can play metal better than almost anybody else when they get down to it. The guitar tone is gold, Scalzi's voice is textured and confident, and the riffs are pure Slough Feg down the line. I do miss John Cobbett's sure hand on the leads, but you can't have everything. If you love classic era Slough Feg as much as I do, this is a treat.
