Review Summary: Barfighter's debut EP was the high; Barfighter 2 is the comedown.
In a musical world where derivation is rewarded with high sales figures and copycatting is the quickest and most sure-fire way to success, artists who staunchly refuse to give in to the status quo and instead choose to carve their own path should be lauded - if nothing else, for their courage to stand by their beliefs. Acts who back up this courage with actual quality and an honest, old-school work ethic become that much easier to respect, endorse, and genuinely wish well on their arduous trek to success, be it niche or mainstream.
Just such a band is Barfighter. At a time when the term
rock suffers from an increasingly foggy definition, the Kentucky power-trio choose to go back to basics and remind everyone what the genre was originally all about - all while presenting their own unique, personalised take on the formula. This willingness to innovate through simplicity was a large part of what made the band's debut EP such a mind-blowing find, and the group itself a definite entry into the list of bands to watch out for in the new decade.
Not content with resting on the laurels of that gob-smacking first outing, however, Barfighter were quick to put themselves out there again. Displaying a workrate consistent with the time period they seek to pay homage to, it took the group no more than
a month to put forth a follow-up record - one which, they hoped, would solidify their reputation within the hard/psych rock genre, and prove to its fans they were not a flash in the pan and were, indeed, in for the long haul.
Hence the creatively titled
Barfighter 2 - twenty-five more minutes of epic instrumental proto-hard rock delivered in seven- to ten-minute slabs. Structurally identical to the debut EP – right down to the overall length and the middle track being the longest – this second outing sees the group continue along the path of mixing Black Sabbath riffs with melodic, mellow guitar leads to create sonic tapestries as suited for background music as they are for recreational substance use. However, where
Barfighter was the high,
Barfighter 2 is the comedown – not only from a musical standpoint, but also in terms of quality.
Musically, this album is somewhat slower-paced than its predecessor. Despite opening with riffs that would not be out of place in a retro death or thrash metal record,
Barfighter 2 sees the band take their feet off the gas pedal for a large portion of the running time, resulting in a predominance of atmosphere over aggression. Nothing in these three tracks is ever as crushing and oppressive as
Nebula Rising off the debut EP; rather, most of the ideas seem to follow along the path set out by that record's more melodic closer,
Reveal the Orb. This results in a somewhat less exciting album, if one where the overall standards remain absurdly high.
Unsurprisingly, this conscious choice to slow things down works to
Barfighter 2's detriment, at least upon first contact. While repeat listens do bring out the best this EP has to offer –
2 is definitely a grower – first impressions are markedly underwhelming, especially when coming off the back of the gobsmacking debut. As a re-introduction to Barfighter,
Hewn in Stone is less than impressive, content as it seems with simply recycling and re-working ideas from that ground-breaking release. This, in turn, ends up tarnishing first contacts with the album's other two songs, resulting in a contextually unfavourable first opinion. Yes, Barfighter are still good – but they are no longer
as good.
As mentioned above, however, this opinion does change with repeat listens, to the point where
2 becomes, if not quite on a par with its predecessor, at least close enough in quality to keep Barfighter in the podium of new-millennium doom/psych acts. Once the initial wave of disappointment washes over, the best features in the group's three new songs truly begin to shine through, increasing the listener's appreciation of the album as a whole.
And there
is much to like in this not-quite-half-hour of music, particularly where the guitar is concerned. While opener
Hewn in Stone brings nothing exceedingly new to the table in that regard, follow up
Astroid Crypt and especially closer
Fist of the Zodiac do serve up enough lysergic licks and riffs to leave any stoner/doom fan salivating. The latter, in particular (far and away the standout among these three new tracks) manages to detach itself from the pack right from the off through the simplest and most basic of means: through a good old dose of the blues. Yes, the blues. After pummelling listeners over the head with riff after riff after doomy atmosphere for the best part of their first two EPs, Barfighter channel another facet of their main influence and present a track which would have not sounded out of place in another groundbreaking debut album, released 50 years earlier – that of the almighty Black Sabbath. Sounding like an electrified blues track played by a heavily intoxicated band (or like Sabbath's
The Wizard minus the distinctive harmonica) this track puts the icing on what ends up being another appetizing slice of musical cake (or is it a hash brownie) served up by the three Kentucky chefs.
All in all, and despite the initial disappointment at not having one's mind blown a second time,
Barfighter 2 proves itself worthy of sitting alongside its predecessor as the second part of Barfighter's musical acid trip. Here's hoping the next high is as satisfying as the first one.
DOWNLOAD IT HERE: https://barfighter.bandcamp.com/album/barfighter-2
Recommended Tracks
Fist of the Zodiac
