Slough Feg is known for a sound that includes traditional, power and folk metal. That's why the opener "The Hunchback Of Notre Doom" comes as somewhat of a surprise with its heavy, downtuned doom. It's very well-executed, and a great song title. There's a lot of retro '70s arena rock vibe on Ape Uprising with hooks and screaming guitars. "Ape Outro" mixes both the arena rock and doomy sound.
Perhaps the most impressive song is the title track. It's a 10 minute epic that ends in an extended instrumental jam with some shredding guitar work from Mike Scalzi and Angelo Tringali. Their performance is stellar throughout the CD, but especially so on the title track.
The folk influences aren't very pronounced on Ape Uprising, but it's still there in songs such as "White Cousin." Slough Feg has a distinctive sound, and Scalzi's instantly recognizable vocals are a big part of that. They also have a good sense of timing. Instead of dragging things out for 18 songs and overstaying their welcome, Ape Uprising is a streamlined 37 minutes long, plenty of time for Slough Feg to impress once again.
(released June 2, 2009 on Cruz Del Sur Music)
