PAEGAN TERRORISM TACTICS (REMASTERED)

Acid Bath's second album further establishes the band's unique Southern punk/sludge/goth metal hybrid, only with warmer, fuller production and a more melodic songwriting approach than on their debut. The songs here are stylistically all over the map, but bound together in part by frontman Dax Riggs' powerful singing and dark lyrics (filled with references to death, graveyards, and bone dust.) The opener, Paegan Love Song, is an instantly catchy shout-along anthem that combines '70s blues-rock elements with more modern metal drumming, while Venus Blue is a straightforward slow rock song with a sad, soaring, guitar-heavy chorus that might have almost been radio ready if not for the graphic lyrics. Diab Soule is more in line with their debut, shifting between raging metal sections, melancholy melodic crooning and a heavy Southern/groove rock breakdown. The closer, Dead Girl, is an all-acoustic ballad that brings to mind Alice in Chains, but again, thanks to the lyrics, it is more disturbing and sinister than any of that band's work. A couple of the songs go on a bit longer than they need to, but on the whole, this album is still filled with strong vocal melodies, memorable riffs, and well structured songs. While their debut also had plenty of standout tracks, Paegan Terrorism Tactics gets the edge over that CD due to its better production, more consistent songwriting, and generally more confident, mature tone. ~ William York