Pennsylvania Stoner.

A special thanks to Sadness for dropping this in the C-Box!
Backwoods Payback is a Stoner Rock band from West Chester, Pennsylvania. This band combines Stoner Rock with Doom and Heavy Metal. Their self-titled album is a nice one. I like the singer of Backwoods Payback, he has a great voice. The songs are nice and groovy, the guitar has a great fuzz so what do you want more? Enjoy.

I’ve been following Backwoods Payback since the Book One release. When this first came out I dug into my pocketbook and got myself a copy. Been listening to it a good deal ever since. On their first full-length, BP gives you rerecorded versions of five tracks from Book One in addition to five brand new tunes. Chris Kozlowski twiddles the knobs here to great effect as the new versions of old classics such as “Mickey Morandini” with its immortal lyric, “I thought I told you before, I’m a motherfucker!”, “Brandywine” now featuring badass organ, “Wide Eyed”, “Hates You” and “Runaway Sinclair” (a monster groove track) all reach their full potentials due to top tier sound quality.

Now, that I’m ahead of myself I guess I should put the reigns on a second for the uninitiated. BP is heavy, tough as nails doom rock in case you’re not in the know. Thundering riffs lay waste to the weak with a dual vocal attack singing and shouting out more profanities than you can shake a stick at.

Oh yeah, a word of warning for those who like their lyrics to paint vivid otherworldly pictures; BP is not going to please you. Their stories of drinking, fighting and taking no bullshit are as blunt as they get. So, if your ears offend easily you’re in the wrong neck of town.

Despite the big, ballsy riffs and rough hewn vocal/lyrical ramblings, there’s a lot of quality songwriting on display in the BP camp. Most of their material gets stuck in my head after the first listen and this new full-length is no exception to that standard. The hooks go hand in hand with heaviness.

All of the redone tracks are badass and it’s interesting to note that they make up the heavier half of the record overall. As for the new tracks, their all well worth your time and range from straight out rockers to slightly more experimental fare.

Rollicking through some seriously turgid rock n’ roll riffs is the drunken, stumbling “Baja 6 Pack”. It has a good deal of groove set to a nice bite of aggression with riffs that stick to your ribs like they should. It moves quickly into the winding space tones of “Bastard Squad”; dabbling with psychedelic instrumentation that adds a drugged out atmosphere to the verses, only to be shattered by fuzz-ridden doom weight in the choruses. The singing is spot on too. I always dug on BP’s vocal delivery as the singing has definite melodic chops interspersed with deadly, moonshine grit.

Southern glory shines throughout the wholly impressive, “You Shittin’ Me?” Big top, bruising riffs maintain a high sense of groove throughout with the taut rhythms adding an extra layer of density. It’s the feeling of reinforcing something as immovable as a boulder. Then to my surprise they slip into a smooth as silk southern groove that rings harmonically beneath a choir of vocals. I thought I had gotten kidnapped and dropped off at a southern gospel practice. Not a moment I expected from this lot.

Digging deeper into the dirt is the boogie rock of “Dirtbike” that makes effective use of Clutch and Corrosion of Conformity’s swing but covers it in the blown out distortion brawl of Earthride. Crystal clear, crooned vocals duel with claustrophobic biker bashing. Jessica Baker’s blues drenched, sludge-y bass lines end this song on a particularly grimy note.

Rounding out the remainder of the new material is the driving southern doom of “Kill All Hell” that features some of disc’s best riffs, along with closer “Penny Driven” which begins slowly with bluesy mood enhancement but then bullies its way to the head of class with additional verbal lamentation provided by none other than Dave Sherman.

BP does it again on this much belated full-length offering. I can’t say that I could see anyone who digs their rock slow, mean and heavy being disappointed with what BP has to offer on their debut long player. They’ve got the melodic, ear catching hooks of COC and Clutch wrapped up with the whiskey sippin’ thunder of ATP at their loudest and Earthride. Loud and abrasive but not without infectious songwriting to make sure you’ll be back at the bar for another round. Glad I shelled out for this one. Hopefully, I’ll get to catch them live someday as I hear they are at their best breathing down your neck from three feet away.
(By Jay Snyder at Hellridemusic.com)

Backwoods Payback - Backwoods Payback (2007)

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