Rockabilly as a fad comes and goes
every few years, falling in and out of favour with the fickle tide of
trends, but there has only ever been one Reverend Horton Heat. In
their early days they got lumped in with the MTV alternative crowd
but time has proven that to be an ill fit. These bad boys come from a
world where surf guitar licks and big dirty double basses reign
supreme. It’s hard to believe that their debut album, Smoke Em
If You Got Em, was released nearly 24 years ago. REV is
their brand new eleventh record and it defies time and popular
trends. The band hasn’t changed significantly in their 29 years and
their agenda remains the same: arrive, rock out like Jerry Lee Lewis
with a firecracker up his arse, leave, repeat.
The album begins with a track called
‘Victory Lap’ and that is precisely what it feels like. It sets
the tone of the album early, frantic and intense, before bleeding out
into ‘Smell of Gasoline’. Everything is unashamedly retro and,
frankly, cool as hell. REV contains many of the band’s
hallmark themes; horror-themed come ons (‘Spooky Boots’), working
class sagas (‘Hardscrabble Woman’), and paeans to the rockabilly
lifestyle (‘Never Gonna Stop It’).
What is impressive is just how good and
fresh this music sounds, even now in the band’s fourth decade. Rev
and the boys always find a way to turn back the clock, rocking harder
than many bands half their age. Their last few albums have leaned a
little too heavily on slower country styles but the fire has been
re-lit under them and they are out to prove their quality. Just
compare a track like ‘Schizoid’ to any flash-in-the-pan youth act
nowadays and there will be a decisive victor.
Back in 1990 The Rev and his crew
became famous for their minor hit, ‘Psychobilly Freakout’. Now
that we are in 2014 and they have eleven albums under their belts
unfortunately nothing has changed in that regard. REV may not
be the sort of album that wins over legions of new fans but for the
converted it is a welcome addition to the band’s already stellar
career.
Rating: A-
Recommended tracks: Smell of Gasoline,
Schizoid, Spooky Boots
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