I'm sure many of you are wondering why the hell a Molly Hatchet review has been insterted on this website. Hell, I'm kind of wondering myself. There are probably also a few of you who thought that this 80's Southern Rock group had long since packed it up. The interesting thing about Molly Hatchet, and a few other Southern Rock bands, especially Blackfoot and Lynyrd Skynyrd, is that they always seemd to appeal to the metal crowd as well as the mainstream rock audience. Hatchet's three guitar line-up packed a mean punch, and their songs mixed melodic lead harmonies, complex and crunchy rhythms, and raunchy attitude.
The last few years has seen a few 70's & 80's bands who have had major line-up changes re-recording classic songs with their current roster. In Molly Hatchet's case, there are no original members! Yes, you heard that right. Back in 1985, guitarist Bobby Ingram (who was an old friend of original singer Danny Joe Brown) came in to the fold to replace original member Dave Hlubek, and currently runs the show, now that all the other original members have left, or passed away. So, how does this version of Molly Hatchet compare? Well, all the songs that have been re-recorded here are almost flawless renditions of the original versions. Current singer Phil McCormack sounds virtually identical to Danny Joe Brown, and although the band now contains only two guitar players, there's still plenty of 6 string mania going on. I do find that some of the harmony leads by Brown and Russ Maxwell are not quite as tasty as the original crew of Hlubek, Duane Roland, and Steve Holland, but they make up for it with a heavier rhythm crunch. Still, it's hard for me to call this Molly Hatchet, as the group comes across more like a top-notch tribute band. My advice, stick with the originals of these songs, and seek out some of the bands more recent studio recordings for a snippet of what they can do.
Track Listing
1) Flirtin' With Disaster
2) Bounty Hunter
3) Gator Country
4) Whisky Man
5) Fall of the Peacemakers
6) Satisfied Man
7) Beatin' the Odds
8) One Man's Pleasure
9) Big Apple
10) The Creeper
11) Jukin' City
12) Goodbye to Love
13) Bloody Reunion
14) 25th Anniversary Song
15) Epitaph/Memories/The Great Beyond
16) Dreams I'll Never See
17) Boogie No More
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