"Produced by Mike Roe." Those four simple words are enough to throw any 77's fan into a rabid frenzy. Well, prepare yourselves. Roe produced the new Ledfoot CD. That's really about all he did on it, too--no vocals, no guitars, save an almost unrecognizable acoustic part. Yet this CD is worth getting anyway.
Ledfoot plays an attractive brand of blues-tinged heavy metal ala Guardian or Rez. Guitarist Dennis Glasco can easily stand up to the best heavy metal guitarists, from Tony Palacios to Janick Gers. The rhythm section, comprised of bassist Matt Davis and drummer Larry Lee Dunbar, does a spectacular job as well. Both the evangelistic lyrics and Earl Wayne Davis's vocals suggest early Guardian without sounding like an exact copy. Every once in awhile, however, the lyrical focus turns to those inside the Kingdom, such as in the standout track "Unto the Church:"
You can sit there in your pew
With your sick, distorted point of view
Religion oozin' out of your skin
Snakes, vipers, hypocrites
Your attitude is from the pit
You're the one that won't let Me in
You scrutinize and minimize
All the things the son of man would do
Twentieth Century Pharisee
Your blinded eyes just can't see
Another album highlight is "Pain, Blame, Shame" in which Davis trades lines with Sean Doty, formerly of Veil of Ashes. Over a blistering rock background, they sing of how Christ has changed their lives:
Though I've walked a mile or two
And been down a lot of avenues
Yes, over mountains and across the fruited plains
It ain't never changed a single thing
Until the Son of Man made me see with my whole heart
Now I believe, 'cause the Word of Truth has set me free
Overall, Ledfoot offers an excellent, Christ-centered heavy metal CD. It's creative and poetic without losing its evangelistic edge. Besides that, it just flat-out rocks!
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #77Reviewed by Doug Van PeltThis is a special album that started off the way a lot of cool albums do - as just a side project for some restless musicians. Since X-Sinner has relegated its AC/DC cloning to a side project tribute band that plays in LA clubs, someone needed to kick out the jams Aussie style. Four guys (Larry Lee Dunbar on drums, Dennis Glasco Jr. on guitar, Matt Davis on bass, and Earl Wayne Davis on vocals)…
