Raging Slab

Although it has been at least a half-dozen years since PA-based Southern rockers Raging Slab have released anything new, their album The Dealer is a great return to form, if you like this style of boogie rock. It always seemed the band was a little behind the times: their riff heavy guitar rock had a lot more to do with the sounds of the mid-'70s than the early '90s. But with the current interest in heavy riff rock at a peak, thanks to bands such as Fu Manchu and Queens of the Stone Age, timing could not be better for a new Raging Slab release. Musically, not much has changed - guitar heavy rock music that has a little bit of swing to it. One band in particular that Raging Slab is quite close to musically is Royal Trux, although I am sure fans of both bands will never admit to just how similar the two sound. Unlike the Trux, however, Slab rarely changes too radically from album to album. Which means, depending on where you sit, this is either another in a long line of solid records or something you can live without. It really shows how hogwash imitators like Nashville Pussy are nothing more than a novelty.