Sally

(TMC)
by Brian Varney

Jesus, it seems as if the folks at Rise Above and TMC can conjure a never-ending supply of bands that sound like this. Not that I’m complaining, see. Like many of the other fine bands on the god-like Rise 13 comp., Sally have a thick, crunchy, bottom-heavy sound that rocks hard with an emphasis on the groove. Sure, there’re plenty of loud guitars to offend your neighbors, but there’s also ample bottom end emphasis to keep things swinging. And they’re Brits to boot! I never thought I’d hear a band with a guitarist named Nigel beat this much ass, but once again I’ve been proven wrong, because they kick your ass hard. They’re able to wrap their thick grooves around some pretty decent songs, which bodes well for the CD’s staying power. A good sound is definitely a nice thing to have, but if you don’t have a memorable framework in which to use your tools, you won’t hold attention for very long. It’s hard to tell yet whether this’ll have any legs, but I’ve had the CD for three days and I’ve played it about seven or eight times without tiring of it. Hell, any band who cops the intro to AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” for one of their own songs is cool with me. How hot is that? At its best (i.e., the entire duration of the CD), Sally kinda reminds me of the latest releases by Unida, Dozer, and Spirit Caravan, all of which should be on your near-constant playlist if they ain’t already. If this is the future of music… bring it on!
(www.music-cartel.com)