siLLy puPPy Although they would shorten their name to the much shorter SLOUGH FEG, this band that formed in State College, Pennsylvania in 1990 and then move to San Francisco shortly thereafter, started out with the much more magnanimous moniker THE LORD WEIRD SLOUGH FEG which was used on their first four albums. This 1996 debut is technically their first album but contains only a mere EP’s running time. Although it hosts eight tracks, it still only clocks in just under the 24 minute mark. Re-releases would would nearly double the length with seven early demos as bonus tracks.

Despite the LORD WEIRD aspect of the band name at this point, these guys weren’t extremely different or weird in any way actually. This band began as a trio of Mike Scalzi (guitars, vocals), Justin Phelps (first bassist who would leave soon after this debut) and Greg Haa (Drums) and copped a classic epic 80s metal sound in the vein of bands like Manilla Road, Brocas Helm, Iron Maiden and Skyclad with a touch of Thin Lizzy. The band’s strange name came from a Celtic folklore-influenced comic book called “Sláine.”

At this point SLOUGH FEG hadn’t quite mastered the sizzling guitar fueled sound that would make them popular with albums like “Down Among The Deadmen” and “Traveller” but they had already moved beyond their respective influences to have a classic epic sound all their own. The music is hard driving with heavy hitting riffs and the classic Iron Maiden gallop as heard on tracks like “Quest For Fire.” Every track is high octane and packs a punk-like punch as the tracks are all short and to the point. The compositions are fairly traditional 80s metal style but the performances are top notch. The production as expected is fairly primitive but passable.

I remember seeing SLOUGH FEG way back in their early years when they opened for Brocas Helm. They were good but not OMG good but when i saw them a few years later for a second time, they had improved like 500% in just about every way possible. At this point the complexity and intensity of the future albums is absent despite a decent energetic delivery of classic epic metal. Mike Scalzi seemed to get a major jolt of creativity flowing when he joined his other band Hammers Of Misfortune in 2000. That is the era when SLOUGH FEG really got interesting and Hammers Of Misfortune began to release some stellar progressive metal albums.

Despite this not being a top dog of SLOUGH FEG albums, this is still a nice slice of 90s metal looking to the past for its inspiration. I have a soft spot for early, lo-fi and raw energy type of metal albums and this one certainly falls into that camp. The band display their high energy performances and Scalzi had already found a way to utilize his theatrical vocal style to narrate epic fantastical tales. This debut has been somewhat ignored and commands a hefty price if you seek a physical copy but the early years of SLOUGH FEG are as raw, bombast and from the heart as you can hope for.