The southern, chainsaw wielding, heavy metal hillbillies from good ol' Georgia,
USA are back! Jackyl returns with "Relentless"; an album
that is very much like their debut in both style and sound, that it is hard
to believe it's been almost ten years since the first release. "Relentless"
could have easliy been Jackyl's second record and is sure to please Jackyl
fans that have been waiting for an album such as this.
I always viewed Jackyl as an AC/DC for the 90's and their music
is no exception. "Relentless" reminds me of AC/DC albums
like "Back In Black", "For Those About To Rock...We
Salute You" and "Flick of the Switch". Jackyl
still continues to do what they have always been doing; combining hard rock and
Southern boogie styles with a touch of metal. The album is not over produced
and maintains a certain stripped down sound and rawness. Vocalist Jesse Dupree
wrote all of the music and lyrics with the exception of "Kill The Sunshine",
which AC/DC's Brian Johnson helped co-write and "Mr Evil",
which has veteran Jackyl guitarist Jeff Worley and new recruit
guitarist Roman Glick (Brother Cane) lending their writing talents
as well.
A really like all the songs on the album, but some will stand out more that
others. "Kill The Sunshine" is the single that is getting some
airplay now and is probably the best track on the album. As I mentioned earlier,
AC/DC's Brian Johnson helped co-write the song so it has that
AC/DC powerchord style and sound with a great backbeat and rhythm to
it. A song like"Vegas Smile", will give you the feeling of
driving down the Vegas strip in a topless Cadillac. "Down This Road
Before" is more of a ballad while "Billy Badass" brings
back the chainsaw sounds.
Anyone into bands like classic Aerosmith, Dirty Looks, Ted
Nudgent and AC/DC are going to like this album. Some things may never
change where Jackyl's music is concerned, but that might not be a bad thing.
It's good to see some bands continue to stick to their guns, or in Jackyl's
case, their chainsaws!