EP Review- Double Wide 'Heavy Oil'

Another week, another kick your teeth in, heavy as all sin bunch of bruisers from the North(Of Ireland) .Double Wide share similar turf, both musically and geographically , with Triggerman, Baleful Creed and Astralnaut, all who have impressed upon our Nihilistic ears of late ,and ' Heavy Oil' , their latest EP, is a fiery concoction indeed, whiskey slugging Southern-fried heavy metal with riffs that pull like tank tracks.

Recorded over a two month period ,  'Heavy Oil'  is a fairly straight up slice of old school heavy metal songwriting, catchy ,melodic riffs , crooned , soulful vocals, and as much in the way of reflective moments as bludgeoning , guitar heavy workouts. Opener 'Roll On' is a Pantera/COC-esque stomper , hook laden,blues-tinged guitars and a chorus so catchy we expect some public safety ads to appear soon to warn teenagers of the dangers of not wearing a condom and catching the fucking thing(get it, like an STD?). 'Not Broken' follows a similar tack, eighteen-wheeler heavy and KFC fat, with the sort of gnarly, fucked up steroidal delivery that BLS used to excel at .

Third track 'El Ultima Paseo' however is a bit of curveball, an evocative , almost  proggy interlude, that appears somewhat out of place on a record like this, but serves to show that the band do have ideas beyond the usual moonshine n tits thrust of bands of a similar sound. The title track brings us back in to riff country , singer/guitarist John Joe showcasing an understated but still strong vocal delivery, and a knack for writing catchy vocal lines.The man can sing, as well as snarl,and his husky  , Anselmo-alike drawl becomes more endearing the more you listen . 'Seven Roads To Hell' is the obligatory bluesy classic rock number, but done in style  ,the intro alone a moment of solid gold genuine genius that makes me wanna see it live in a big way  .In fact one thing that's not immediately apparent is the band's grasp of classic songwriting, and it's something that should definitely be explored on a full length, as evidenced again on frankly beautiful closer 'Dead River'.

Overall, 'Heavy Oil' is unlikely to change your world.It's nothing new musically,and is hardly likely to shake the rock world up a whole lot.A slightly muddy  production on heavier tracks lets it down a little as well, but overall this is solid, and occasionally brilliant slice of take no prisoners, down n' dirty hard rock that recalls a time were men were men , women were glad of it, but neither of that mattered because Lemmy was still harder and louder than either. Filthy.

Rating:6/10
For fans of: COC, Maylene and The Sons Of Disaster, Baleful Creed, Down, Motorhead.
Buy the album here: http://double-wide.bandcamp.com/

Stephen O' Connor
bornagainnihilist@gmail.com