There is a certain brutality and angst to this record that hits you right between the eyes. From the opening lines, “Raymond Lee, don’t you lie to me, tell me where my brother’s body lays” (“Raymond Lee”) it’s clear that this isn’t going to be a Sunday afternoon jaunt up Appalachian trails picking wildflowers. Creech Holler, East Tennessean blues terrorists; prefer to venture off the beaten track with their brand of southern gothic blues inspired by the fiction of Flannery Connor and Faulkner and the raw Appalachian mountain music of Hobart Smith and Doc Boggs. Listening to the cranked up fuzz-laden guitars laying down the grizzled grooves, backed by a near primal beat of Christian Brooks on drums and incendiary foot stompin, The Shovel And The Gun is grower and one that unearths greater rewards with each listen. An album full of dark, brooding tales of redemption, death and want, dragged kicking and screaming from the dark heart of the mountains has little in the way of subtlety for sure yet these guys manage to keep your attention for the whole set. Standouts include “Willie Williams,” fiddle driven and hypnotic as hell, “When The Temptor Calls,” a beast of blues workout, and their take on the traditional mountain fare “John The Revelator” and “The Cuckoo” both of which are given the ‘Creech’ treatment (essentially run through the mangle until every ounce of goodness has long drained away) coming out the other end that bit darker and deranged. These three would make even a Burt Bacharach song sound dirty, used and abused. Creech Holler, the bastard sons of southern boogie blues. It kind of slips off the tongue don’t you think. A 16 Horsepower you can dance to.

8 out of 10
                            Read more...
                        

                            
I loved their first disc With Signs Following and bought this as soon as it came out.  It's every bit as good if not better.
                            Read more...