ALBUM REVIEW: The Name Lives On – Texas Hippie Coalition
To quote a famous brand of UK fence paint, some bands do exactly what they say on the tin. TEXAS HIPPIE COALITION are one such act – unsurprisingly, they hail from the Lone Star State and have been going nearly 20 years with a plethora of line-up changes, but always led from the front by singer James Richard Anderson, better known as Big Dad Ritch and the only founding member left. A staple at festivals like Rock On The Range and Rocklahoma – and at least one appearance at Ride For Dime in memory of fallen PANTERA guitarist Dimebag Darrell – Friday April 21st sees the release of The Name Lives On, their seventh studio album and the first to feature drummer Joey Mandigo, the seventh sticksman for the band.
If you haven’t listened to the lead single from the album, titled Hell Hounds, then it will take all of ten seconds for everything about this band to be front and centre; the fuzzy, southern rock riffs and Ritch‘s gravelly, low drawl telling you that this is a band completely in the – pun unintended – groove of PANTERA, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and the more country leanings of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH.
Just under 40 minutes in length, the ten tracks present are slabs of riffs, overdrive and gruff vocals perfect for either an outdoor barbecue in Dallas or the airwaves of Classic Rock 96.1. There are a few small deviations here and there – Hard Habit has the slightest hint of CLUTCH in its melodies and I Teach Angels How To Fly is a solid if unspectacular attempt at a ballad – but otherwise this is, through and through, music for sipping bourbon, eating steak and driving the length of Highway 83 to.
By now, if you’re reading this and thinking The Name Lives On is little more than a checklist of southern rock and metal stereotypes, well, that’s because it IS, in essence. There’s nothing ground-breaking here, as alluded to at the very beginning of this review and, if you’re not into that sort of thing right now, this is NOT going to swing you any time soon. Even the artwork ticks off a few boxes – the Texan flag, Dean guitar with a visible Confederate presence and a leather Stetson perched atop of a rifle; to paraphrase an internet meme, it’s a bit of a surprise that there isn’t a single moment where Ritch screams ‘Hell Yeah, brother!‘ on the record.
Yet, all digression aside and despite lacking a couple of dimensions, The Name Lives On is done extremely well; Ritch has got a fine band behind him (alongside newbie Mandigo, he has Cord Pool on guitar and Romo brothers Nevada and Larado on guitar and bass respectively) and they all give themselves a good account in one form or another; as an example, the solo in I Come From The Dirt is a fine piece of axe work.
You don’t get 20 years into a career if you’re not doing something right, even if it’s for a very specific audience. TEXAS HIPPIE COALITION will find delight from some and derision from others, but they know their target demographic and, in The Name Lives On, that sector of life who smile when they hear them will only see their grins get bigger.
Rating: 6/10
The Name Lives On is set for release on April 21st via MNRK Heavy.
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