Butcher Jones is an interesting band. The members of Butcher Jones were formerly in a metal band called Sixstitch that played (well, in a way they still play since Sixstitch has not officially broken-up yet) alternative metal combined with break-beat electronics. Butcher Jones as a band was born because while writing the follow-up to Sixstitch's debut album, the guys realised that they aren't creating metal anymore and the break-beat electronics that were so prominent on their debut are also gone. Seeing that happen, the band decided to make a whole new turn in their career: Butcher Jones is NOT Sixstitch with a different name, they are a whole new lethal rock force from the desolate Arizona desert.
No Gods West is Butcher Jones' first attempt and it definitely is a successful one. While Sixstitch's music was rather original and the break-beat electronics mixed with polished metal riffing were interesting to hear, the music displayed on No Gods West seems to suit the band itself more.
No Gods West is a piece of gritty melodic hard rock of the 21-st century done with great precision. Butcher Jones takes influences from the old rock'n'roll scene and blends those influences into their own modern hard rock sound. The guitar lines on No Gods West are very catchy and energetic and are supported by the incredibly superb rock voice of the singer J.Jones. His voice is really perfect for this genre, if one could imagine an improved version of Axl Rose without the bloody annoying whiny scream, then that would be a rather fair comparison. J.Jones also has a rather neat, somewhat "southern" voice that is good for the ears.
No Gods West has a lot of good sides to it that show the maturity of the band. For instance, this album doesn't have any filler tracks and is very unified all around. It is very hard to pick any standout tracks from this just because there isn't a bad track on here but if one has to choose, then "Red River Killer" and "Remember The Mountain" are maybe just a tad better than the rest. These songs literally have all the aspects a rock fan could want: decent slow-paced guitarlines in the verses; great vocal performance; a "howling" lead guitar sound and a catchy memorable choruses. The songs also have a neat southern vibe to them and the drums backing the guitars and the vocals are also decent.
Unity, the singer, and the guitarwork aren't the only good things about this album though, there is more. Another bonus that this album has is the production. It is kind of muddy and because of that the electric guitar and bass sound deep and murky - just how it fits this kind of music. The last thing that is a sure plus is that the music Butcher Jones makes is homelike, it is amiable and when listening to it, you feel like being in a place you love, listening to good music (Butcher Jones) with your friends, talking about stuff you like and enjoying the life with no strings attatched. Simply put, Butcher Jones' music sets your mind free and just makes you feel happy.
Now I guess this should be the time for me to introduce you to this album's flaws, but to be honest there really aren't any significant problems with this album. Sure at points the lyrics could be a bit more thought out, and sure this Ep could have been longer but the sheer musical quality that is found in here just makes up for it all. What Butcher Jones have created here is a 21-st century rock piece that should not go unnoticed by anyone who loves rock music. Buy it, listen to it, love it.
