Roadsaw

See You In Hell! (Small Stone)
By Brian Varney

One of the earliest progenitors of the so-called stoner rock genre, Roadsaw dissolved in wake of its finest album (2000’s Rawk & Roll, re-issued last year by Small Stone). Despite plenty of good qualities (a great, muscular rock sound, an excellent singer, and frequently terrific songwriting), the band just kinda went away. This isn’t to say that the members stopped making music: Three of the members went on to form Antler, a band rooted in a similar era of rock history, although an unfortunate fondness for faceless midtempo ballads made them a less appealing band. I’m not sure if they’re still a going concern in wake of the Roadsaw reunion.

Yes, the Roadsaw reunion. In one of the least likely moves I never expected to see, the guys decided the labor of loading into crappy rock clubs for little to no money was, once again, worth it. Good for them, and definitely good for us. See You In Hell! picks up right where Rawk & Roll left off. As always, the recording sounds great (I think lead singer Craig Riggs either owns or runs a recording studio, which may help to explain why their stuff always sounds so terrific), guitarist Darryl Shepard (of the late, very great Milligram) brings his unique, burly guitar tone into the proceedings, and Riggs sings like a rock star from a bygone era. If you like any of the band’s previous recordings, See You in Hell! will be worth your money and/or download credits.
(www.smallstone.com)