Murfreesboro’s own Laser Flames on the Great Big News, adds its first release—a self-produced four track EP, Lambs to the Slaughter, out of Jason Dietz’ Twin Oak Studios—to the weight of what local head-bangers and shredders so desperately crave. But instead of lumping themselves into any given style, this Murfreesboro quartet (getting up to a septet, depending how many vocalists and/or viola players are needed) uses this EP to show they’re collectively the jack of all metals by steering in and out of different forms of the heavy in a Gene and Dean Ween sans humor kind of way, throughout the 17 minutes Lambs to the Slaughter fills.
Made up of vocalists/guitarists Stephanie “Stevie” Bailey and John Judkins backed by Brian Myers on bass and James Turk on drums, Laser Flames on the Great Big News begin its navigation through their heavy world with “Monster Truth,” starting it off with a straight grunge metal guitar hook accompanied by the Turk’s crash-heavy pounding of an early Metallica before the softening harmonies from Baily and Judkins’ lyrics and even more softening viola, played by Ashley Morris, halfway through when the lead track takes a turn into somewhat Evanescence territory.
The following track, “Dead River,” begins with a Nugent-esque guitar riff inviting a fugue of everyone else quickly turning it into an early Alice in Chains feel. If the EP didn’t catch you with “Monster Truth,” “Dead River” will do the deed. Screeching strings across the rockiest guitar as Bailey and Judkins swap verses back and forth until doubling down the tempo, most noticeably in Turk’s cymbals, before easing into the growls of the following “Faith of the Blackened Heart,” filled with the harmonizing of the band’s ghoulish screams and monster roars (including co-producer Jason Dietz’ cameo), over a Gwar-ish instrumentation.
The Final track, “Not Living,” stands as the longest song on the EP at five minutes and does a fair job, too, covering the basis of Motorhead in the first half of the song, but if Clutch’s Neil Fallon were on vocals before the track takes a turn into Blonde Readhead territory as its structurally and lyrically handed over to Bailey to finish up.
Not a bad ride at all.
A name-your-price copy of Lambs to the Slaughter can be found at handshakeinc.bandcamp.com/album/lambs-to-the-slaughter, as well as other Handshake, Inc. (their promotion company) merchandise.
