I remember reading somewhere about SCATTERED HAMLET and how their genre is southern/groove metal. Whenever I hear 'southern' something, anything for that matter, from food, ambiance, design, music [truly, if you want to sell something to me, just say it's from the south, I'll buy it no-questions-asked] my senses start to tingle. I'm a New Orleans fangirl so that is reason enough for me to give it a try. When I got my hands on their new album, '"Swamp Rebel Machine" (see.... swamp...I knew I was on to something here) I couldn't wait a second to give it a go, and truth be told, it has been on repeat ever since.  SPOILER ALERT, it's that good.

Have you ever been around the bayou? Do you know the noises the fauna makes? Well if you are more of a concrete jungle person, look no further; "Battle Hymn" has you covered.  This 'honky-tonk' metal gets things started with some fast paced guitar riffs and a voice that keeps on varying - which may be the secret ingredient that makes the song so appealing. What's the problem with Dukes of Hazard? I may or may not like the show and after listening to "Stonewall Jackson" I may or may not want to go on a ride with the Duke boys.  The song has that back-road attitude filled with moonshine and a hillbilly attitude.

Moving on to some fusion metal, we have "Four Barrel Mojo", "Outlaw Breed" and "Buchshot". My favorite track is by far "Four Barrel Mojo" it has a swing tone to it, which keeps me on my feet. Adam's voice is paired beautifully with the guitar rhythm. Someone said that if you can't relate to "Outlaw Breed" you probably aren't from the south. What If I do relate to it? WHAT HAPPENS THEN? Does that mean I have to move to the south?  Not that I need a reason or anything....but it's always good to have hard facts to present to the immigration department. Closing out with "The Lesson", by far the longest track on the album is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser, going full on heavy metal.

Concluding my too-many-references-and-personal-feelings review, I must say that all of the songs on this album are a hit - full of energy and a great mix of multiple genres - but don't take my word for it, go buy the CD and let's talk later.