Dog Leg Preacher Howls At The Moon

It's nice to know in this day and age that the sound of 1980's Los Angeles still resonates somewhere in the world. Somewhere close to you, there are still bands that think AC/DC is cutting edge, that think Dokken was the best band ever, and think nine minute guitar solos are wonderful things. It's true they're still out there and while you might be laughing at the prospect, these guys are just like every other musician and give it their all. Among those bands is Washington's Dog Leg Preacher.

Far from grunge but not completely hair metal, the band describes themselves as edge rock and that seems like the best way to describe Dog Leg Preacher in regards to everything. This is a band that has literally been to the edge and back and their album, Abscessis a reflection of this. Dedicated to the memory Tom Pfaeffle and featuring the brain scans of member Jon Fosdick this is truly a band that has been through more in the span of recording one record that most bands on the planet will ever experience all at the same time. But rather than let all that get them down, they've channelled their energy into their music and the result is an album that's a hard rockin' good time. Sounding something like Led Zeppelin meets Love/Hate circa 1990 this is a band that takes the sound of LA and warps into something that's not glamtacular at all.

Whether or not Seattle's music scene of the same time has influenced them is up for debate, but one can't help but wonder if their metallic crunch is just a bit grunged up. Energetic and loud with enough oomph and crunch to keep things exciting, Dog Leg Preacher take all the metal cliches and throw them out the window with their flannel as well. In fact, one can't help but think if this band were in LA in the early 90's that they would have had the chance to be huge. They're truly intriguing and Abscess is an album that is bursting with potential even if it's about 18 years too late.

Having lived through the transition from metal to grunge it was a great time to hear what metal bands were doing to try and stay relevant and bands like Dog Leg Preacher ended up doing some fascinating things. It's nice to know that legacy is alive and well and Abscess is almost like a living tribute to the era. If you like music loud, fast, heavy, and with a lot of heart Abscess will have you reaching for your leather jacket and Doc Martens. Dog Leg Preacher are a group that have persevered despite everything that's happened to them and like the bands of the 90's, that's what metal is all about.