ALBUM REVIEW: Dead Alive In Texas – Thunder Horse

It’s exactly 12 months since Texan doomsters THUNDER HORSE released their third album After The Fall to critical acclaim, and they continue to gallop ahead, keeping the momentum of their ascendancy high by releasing Dead Alive In Texas, a live album featuring eight choice cuts from their previous three studio albums (plus a cheeky MOTÖRHEAD cover for good measure).

Recorded live in Cibolo, TX, Dead Alive In Texas is a raw and powerful celebration of live rock ‘n’ roll in all its glory. It’s the sound of four guys in front of a stack of cranked vintage amplifiers giving their all for a braying crowd and paying homage to the likes of SABBATH, PRIEST and DEEP PURPLE. It captures the essence of a packed out doom metal show in a dark and dingy dive bar perfectly. As soon as the serpentine riff of opener Let Them Bleed kicks in, you can practically smell the beer and feel the sweat drip from the ceiling.

THUNDER HORSE have honed their craft on the road and it shows in the performances on display here. Drummer Johnny Lightning provides thunderous grooves, keeping perfect time while clearly beating the ever-loving shit out of his kit. His performance on Demons Speak (from their self-titled debut) is especially thrilling as he propels the galloping riffs forward with a thunderous beat and plenty of flashy fills.

Monolith from After The Fall was chosen as the lead single from Dead Alive In Texas and it’s clear why. It’s got a bit of everything that makes THUNDER HORSE great; an irresistible headbanger of a main riff, blistering lead work from guitarist T.C Connally, and a monolithic outro worthy of its title. Connally again is the star of the show on Song For The Ferryman, showcasing his talent for bluesy lead work throughout the six-minute epic.

Whereas the studio albums tend to have the vocals drenched in effects and sat back in the mix, here they are raw, unfiltered and up front. Vocalist/guitarist Stephen Bishop can be forgiven for the odd time he doesn’t quite hit the note he’s reaching for as what he lacks in finesse he more than makes up for in passion and aggression. Plus it’s OK to have the occassional fluff on a live album as it lends a certain level of humanity to the listening experience.

To convey the atmosphere of a live show they’ve chosen to keep the crowd hooting and hollering prominent in the mix. After a while it becomes suspiciously constant though. For example during the slow and brooding Liber Ad Christ Milites Templi, there are high pitched screams in places where you’d expect the crowd to be listening intently or simply headbanging. It begs the question of whether they’ve actually dubbed stock sounds of a hooting crowd into the mix.

There are times when the overall mix lets the band’s performance down too, Dave Crow‘s bass especially becoming muddy and lost behind the crunch of the guitars in some sections. That said, when it does punch through, such as on penultimate track Chosen One, there’s a satisfying thump to his tone which adds real heft to proceedings. Closing with a raucous cover of MOTÖRHEAD’s classic Ace Of Spades is a bold move indeed. They almost pull it off as they’re audibly having a lot of fun blasting through a song they know like the backs of their riff-calloused hands. Unfortunately, here more than ever is where the muddy mix lets them down.

This is one for THUNDER HORSE fans to enjoy and add to their collections. Those who aren’t familiar with their southern-fried trad doom will also find a lot to enjoy here, but should really start with their studio albums first.

Rating: 6/10

Dead Alive In Texas is set for release on July 5th via Ripple Music.

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