Band: Polecat Boogie Revival
Album title: Polecat Boogie Revival
Label : Scarey Records
Distributor : Bertus
Release date : Sept. 2008
Release : Digipak CD

Comin’ straight from out o’ the Bible Belt, Chattanooga (Tennesee) based Polecat Boogie Revival started out a couple a years ago (ain’ sure jus’ when!). Playing a powerhouse Rock ‘n’ Roll which is an “…high-octane mixture of ripsnortin’ Southern Rock, hard-edged ‘70s FM radio classics, a sincere love for American Roots music, and the ass-kickin’ attitude of outlaw country…” (taken from the biography we got along with our promo copy of the album), the boys made their first official recordings (I’m guessing demos already went around earlier) with a contribution to the 2006 tribute compilation Everybody Loves Antiseen…which was eventually followed by a split EP with Armazilla released in early 2008 by Steelcage Records.

Consisting of lead singer Th’ GD King (akà Alan King, also active in Hellstompers), guitarist Tom Hughes, bassist Ben “Benz”, and drummer B.A., the quartet now has their debut full-length out since September of last year (in North America it’s out on Zodiac Killer Records), and thanks to the good people at Scarey Records (Yo Carlo…lóve ya!!!)we’re now in the opportunity of getting acquainted with the band’s music as well! On their MySpace page, the guys cite influences coming from “…Dylan to Derringer, Zeppelin to ZZ Top, Maiden to Motown. All points in between,” but it wasn’t until I’d listened to the album for the fourth time that some of the picture came in focus. You see, during “Mangrum”, you’ll find a line where the singer asks, “Jim Dandy, why you been gone so long?”…and I’d been wondering from the first time I heard that sentence whom the hell was Jim Dandy again, when suddenly it struck me that he is of course that raucous lead singer of the celebrated Southern Rock act Black Oak Arkansas!!! Yeah, I finally saw the light (nót a biblical thing!!!)…now I got the awkward vocal stylings of PBR’s singer, the amount of Boogie Blues that was part of the mixture! And suddenly there’s a quote from sleezegrindeer.com in the biography I’d overlooked thus far: “…PBR are full-tilt swamp devil rock and roll, meaner than a piss drinkin’ hooker and as lethal as tainted hog venom…half Nuge, half Black Oak, all hairy, scary, and quite possibly evil. Highly recommended…”…right on, baby! Quite possibly evil? Heck, the guys do their best to sustain that idea, by bringing a backward played “Lord have mercy on our soul” prayer (no music) and titling it “Luos Ym No Ycrem Evah Drol (Interlude)”!

Apparently fans of the band (who’re known collectively as The Congregation…a fitting name for àny – possibly blasphemous – bunch of people from that area) have been buggin’ both college and regional radio stations in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Florida for a dose of music from their favourite band on a regular basis. Not surprisingly, the quartet has toured extensively in the Southern states of the US, and they even did the main support for Hank William III’s 2005 national tour in that region! So, it was about time that a proper recording see the light of day!

For the most time the band plays quite up-tempo, but they dó have their calmer moments as well (“Mangrum” for one!), which also brings in the necessary variety! Listen to a couple of the band’s songs at myspace.com/officialpolecatboogierevival, and bear in mind that the posted “New York City Blues” and “Barefoot At Lamar’s” (credited respectively to the 2006 Scarey Records issued compilation The Foreign Object – see also currently posted Long Dong Silver review – and the split with Armazilla) are also featured on the album! Another notable track on the album, is the great cover of Warren Zevon’s “Play It All Night Long”…it fits so wonderfully well in the 12-track set of the PBR album, it could’ve been a song of their own! So, yeah baby, it’s Southern Boogie Rock ‘n’ Roll, and I like it!!! How ‘bout you?

88/100

Tony.