Reviews list for Lord Weird Slough Feg, The - Traveller (2003)

The Lord Weird Slough Feg – a band celebrated for bringing back good old-fashioned Traditional Heavy/US Power Metal. Even the vocals to this band are reminiscent of Mark “The Shark” of Manilla Road, and thematics are typically rooted in literature or mythology with a healthy dose of sci-fi. Essentially, very “nerdy” Metal. 

Slough Feg do not try to be very dark or evil, nor do they go for overblown theatrics. The music is not layered with synths or symphonics, nor is it pushing any technical limits or progressive boundaries. Nay, Slough Feg is just Metal. It’s just fun. And for many, this has been enough to earn them praise, especially in a time where Metal bands were doing everything they could to be heavier, more experimental, more maximalistic, or even gimmicky. Slough Feg was just Slough Feg (Or The Lord Weird, if you will).

Anyway, about Traveller. Traveller is a narrative-driven sci-fi concept album about a smuggler-esque alien dogman. I mean, it goes way deeper than that, every detail based on the game of the same name. What, you haven’t heard of it? “Traveller is a science fiction role-playing game first published in 1977”! For the 72 people who have heard of this game, the album is (probably) an absolute treasure trove of deep and nerdy references. We follow our (anti) hero as he seeks revenge for the gene-splicing mutilation he’s forced to undergo, leading to galactic wars, and… yeah, it’s a fun time.

The music to Traveller is, as I mentioned before, pretty standard US Power Metal. And this is where I think the band starts to be a bit overrated. Traveller is definitely their best album, no doubt about that – not only does it have the fun concept, but it’s packed with energy, showcasing the band’s best drumming for sure and interesting songwriting choices. That being said, there are a very large number of USPM bands out there who have a “best album” that I’d put above this. It’s a good cut of the genre, but nothing I’d put in the USPM hall of fame or anything. The playing is good here, but in terms of memorable guitar melodies or choruses etc, it falls a bit flat.

Still, a great album, if overrated a bit. More fun than anything. Definitely rewards those who pay attention to lyrics. The best part of the album is probably the fact that is closes on the best song the band ever wrote, “Addendum Galactus.” Man, I love a good closer.

With all of the recent talk about the US power metal movement in The Guardians forum, I noticed that I hadn’t rated this highly regarded release from that particular scene, despite harbouring the distant memory of having given it a few spins over a decade ago now. Having sat through the album three times over the last two days though, I’m not so sure that my recollections are all that accurate as I can’t say that I’ve heard anything particularly familiar in The Lord Weird Slough Feg’s 2003 fourth album “Traveller”. There’s one thing that can’t be denied though & that’s the impressive pedigree of this band as they showcase a very solid understanding of several eras & movements that produced the fundamental building blocks of metal music in general.

Some of you may have read my recent whinge about how poorly the US power metal tag is used & defined. Well, “Traveller” is one of a relatively small percentage of releases that are genuinely deserving of the tag as it’s as metal as fuck & possesses a consistently epic atmosphere that rarely crosses over that dreaded cheese line. The warm rhythm guitar tone isn’t overly distorted & this restraint gives “Traveller” a noticeably 70’s feel that reminds me of Judas Priest’s classic material from the 1976-78 period. Black Sabbath is also strongly represented through several chunky doom sections that sit very much in line with some of the material from the Grand Magus record we featured recently. Iron Maiden & the NWOBHM receive more than the occasional dalliance too with the classic Maiden gallop & guitar harmonies being a major component in the Slough Feg sound although it has to be said that the harmonies in question often sound a little more dark & doomy than the Irons ever attempted.

Despite the obvious classic metal influences though, “Traveller” is categorically a US power metal release for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the riffs have an overarching weight to them that never veers from the metal course, even if they do occasionally head into territory that’s a little more melodic than I’d like. I mean there’s absolutely zero hard rock here & neither is there any hint of commercialism. These guys do what they do purely for the love of metal. Secondly, the vocals of Mike Scalzi (who also fronted San Francisco progressive metal outfit Hammers Of Misfortune at the time) have an epic quality to them that’s tailor made to encourage audiences to don their leathers & raise their metal claws to the sky in unison. To my ears, his tone sits halfway between the emotionally engaging styles of A.A. Nemtheanga (Primordial) & Vincent Cavanagh (Anathema) & the nasal story-telling of Manilla Road front man Mark Shelton & this really seems to work for Slough Feg as it provides further reinforcement to their whole ideal which appears to me to be a celebration of metal in general.

I can’t deny that there are some really attractive elements to the Slough Feg sound that I get a lot of enjoyment out of. The lead guitar tone offers plenty of shred & really highlights the skills of the musicians involved so the solos are always enjoyable. I also find the more organic rhythm guitar sound to be a refreshing side step from the usually heavily distorted one found in most modern heavy/power metal. It adds another layer of integrity/credibility & immediately saw my ears pricking up, particularly during the more crushing sections where those guitars have a lovely crunch to them. So I guess I generally like the band’s approach but the only problem is that I’m never quite onboard with Slough Feg’s overall musical direction. It’s just a touch too melodic for me & I’ve often struggled with the more epic sounding brand of heavy metal over the years. These concerns are probably responsible for me not being able to find any genuine classics amongst the twelve tracks included & are compounded by a three track run in the middle of the B side that leaves me completely cold (see “Gene-ocide”, “Curse Of Humaniti” & “The Final Gambit”). So overall I’m gonna place “Traveller” into the big box I keep at the back of my musical tasting room i.e. the one that I store records that I quite like but rarely find myself returning to.

For fans of Brocas Helm, Manilla Road & Eternal Champion.