CHEAT THE GALLOWS

Bigelf are an interesting group of musicians. A quartet dedicated to resurrecting retro blues- rock with an intense abuse of the Hammond organ and growling guitar riffs, the band is able to craft a rather interesting brand of music. Cheating the Gallows, the band's third studio album, shows no shortage of this bombastic brand of heavy prog. Although the prog of the music is comprised of little more than the Hammond and Mellotron riffs, overall the band crafts an interesting album, with multiple moments of lighthearted playing of four guys who are having a good time. Despite the fact that much of the album seems to borrow quite a bit from their 70s influences, such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and King Crimson, they are still able to present an overall good album for us to listen to.

With much of the band's music a high tribute to the 70s greats, some of it can come off as a cheesy amalgam of 70s riffs, atmospheres, and themes. Of course this is not bad, but the overall lack of originality the band displays on much of the album harms the overall performance of the band. Songs like The Gravest Show on Earth, Money, It's Pure Evil, Superstar, and The Evils of Rock & Roll show how these guys have an obvious affection for their yesteryear influences, with similar rocking riffs, bluesy use of the Hammond to accent the riffs, and that certain atmosphere that many 70s hard rock bands conjured up in their classic recordings. Now the band's tribute to these greats is obviously not bad, with many great moments within the music showing that the band is not just your everyday cover band. The music in the end is good, albeit a little dry.

Cheating the Gallows certainly covers a bit of ground, with its near-hour length paying a nice tribute to many bands, from Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin to King Crimson and Pink Floyd. The majority of the creative concepts found on the album are a direct result of the band's amalgamation of their numerous influences into a single display of rather interesting heavy progressive rock. Obviously these tracks aren't bad, with some great spices of inventiveness found in some of the mellow melodic breakdowns and jazzy dynamics peppered throughout the album. Overall, the album isn't spectacular. However, the album is certainly not bad in any way. The band is able to craft a nice tribute, with their own (slightly influence-reliant) musical stamp across the music as well. The slightly dissonant quality of Damon Fox's voice mixed with the cinematic quality of the riffs and growling Hammond organ plodding make for an interesting sound. In the end, despite some obvious reliance upon their influences, the band has crafted an overall good album. 3+ stars.

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