Reviews for See You In Hell...

The Ripple Effect

Ever have one of those days when everything just seems to go wrong? Nothing’s running on time, everyone’s getting on your nerves, all your technical equipment breaks, and traffic sucks the life out of you? Yeah, it was one of those days.

Thank God for Small Stone.

Grabbing the latest package from our favorite purveyors of maxed-out seventies-inspired heavy rock, I tore into the envelope with a vengeance. After my day in Hell, I found it quite fitting that the disc I slipped into the Ripple mobile CD player was this aptly titled ditty. And let me tell you right off, it hit the nail right on the fucking head.

See, when I’m pissed, when I got that energy that I just gotta burn off, I just gotta rock. But given a choice, I’ll leave the extreme metal, blast beats and death growls to my brethren the Pope. When I need to rock, I want my metal with big, massive riffs so meaty you could cut them with a steak knife. I want my bass line groovy and rough and rumbling with the ferocity of an 8.6 Los Angeles earthquake. I want my drums clean, with fills and rolls pounding like a defensive lineman attacking a quarterback. In short, I want Roadsaw. And thank all that’s holy, that’s what I got.

I’m going to kill the suspense right away with this one. The Pope and I have been asked by our good buddy Rhode Island rock over at Heavy Metal Addiction to join other music bloggers around the world and publish on Dec 27^th our top 10 picks for heavy metal/hard rock albums of 2008. Roadsaw is going to be on that list.

From the first tearing note of that first song “Who Do You Think You Are,” I knew I was in good hands with these guys. That note leads right into a massive single guitar riff, fuzzed up and maxed out to optimal effect. By the time the drum line blasts in with a rolling fill, I was gunning the gas pedal on the Ripple mobile, and when the bass blew in, filling out that monstrous bottom end, I was already pounding my fist against the steering wheel in a cathartic rage. This is huge seventies inspired rock with enough of a debt to Metallica to make them relevant today.

Riggs quickly became one of my favorite vocalists of the year, infusing the song with a soulful voice, rough with texture, deep in tone, yet melodic enough to carry the song throw the inherent melody and still powerful enough to hit the highs when necessary. This is the kind of voice I could get into, pained and real. Don’t give me power metal operatic histrionics when I'm pissed, give me a voice that’s been through the depths of hell and dragged itself back again. That’s what it takes to release my inner demons.

As “Who Do You Think You Are,” snapped to a close, I was on the open road, feeling slightly better, but still retaining the memory of my crappy day like a fungus clinging to my cortex. I needed more. As if to answer the needs of my fired-up reptilian brain, “Look Pretty Lonely,” rumbled out on the back of a surging drum fill before launching into a rumbling riff, charging at me with the force of a herd of wildebeest fleeing a hungry predator. Riggs's voice reached new heights of emotion, wailing over the stuttering guitar, again bringing to life the killer melody that forms the backbone of the song. Following a swirling, fuzzed out guitar bridge, the boys launch right into the chorus, full of angst and dark emotion. Don’t categorize this as stoner rock, it’s way more fierce than that label implies, yet still rooted in it’s seventies heritage. God bless it, if this isn’t as near perfect a heavy track as I’ve heard all year.

“Go it Alone,” brings out some more obvious influences, in all the best ways. A touch of fuzzed-out Fu Manchu, a trace of Aerosmith. A chugging Nugent riff. A melody most bands would die for. Plowing down the interstate with this baby blaring, the cold wind blowing against my long-ago shaved scalp, life slowly began to fall back into perspective, me pounding the shit out of my steering wheel, singing in time to the vocal hook even though I’d never heard it before. Instantly familiar, yet totally new. In a perfect world, this track, and for that matter every track, would be a mainstay of FM radio.

“The Rules,” takes these influences a step further, bringing in a gigantic bluesy, Aerosmith mid-tempo number. Listen for that bellowing bass, mining the depths below the raging dual guitar riffs. Hear it plowing the earth underneath the maximally fuzzed solo. Feel it dig into your skin and suck the venom right out of your veins. Then, just after “Up to You,” treks down a similar trail, “Dead Horse,” gallops out of the corral letting you know these aren’t one trick ponies. Riding a strummed acoustic, the song is steeped in heavy atmospherics underlying the once again killer melody, so steeped in melancholy it carries all the pathos of a Greek tragedy married to the songwriting worthy of a chamber quartet. Echoing guitars shimmer over Riggs, who finds a whole new plateau for his voice, smoothing it out to the point of true beauty.

But don’t worry, the guys haven’t gone soft. While “Dead Horse,” gave me a brief moment to catch my breath, “Leavin’” brings the rock back in the form of a mid-tempo bluesy number before “It’s Your Move,” launches back into the riff pounding hard rock. By this time, I’ve arrived at my destination, sweat dripping down my temples, my fists reddened and bruised from the repeated pounding against the wheel, my left foot sore from keeping time with the bass drum. As the searing guitar lead tore out of my speakers, followed by the final neo-psychedelic calm down of “”Receive,” swirling in my ears, I turned off the engine, thoroughly spent and completely satisfied.

If the goal of music is to impart the emotion of the band onto the listener, sharing a catharsis of band and audience alike, then there’s no way to describe this disc but an out and out success. And the most amazing thing to me is that with all the emotion these guys plow into me, the anger and passion, it’s all tempered with the most God-damned perfectly singable melodies you’ll find in any heavy rock album anywhere. You’d have to be a fucking zombie not to find a visceral connection with at least one track on this disc.

Or as the boys say themselves, “You call me dark. Well, I like the view.” So do I, my brothers, so do I.

 - Racer

Leicester Bangs (UK)

If there was a prize for the least expected introduction to a Small Stone album it should go to Roadsaw for the short cheery blast of fairground organ that opens up “See You in Hell”. Such levity is swiftly blown away however by the more typical heavy blues riffology of “Who Do You Think You Are”, a veritable stoner rock beast to get the party up and lumbering. Having been around since the mid 90’s, and with numerous tours, festival appearances and albums under their collective belt, their dense and dangerous take on melodic metal has been pretty much honed to perfection. Standout tracks “Look Pretty Lonely”, “Go It Alone” and “It’s Your Move” are the best examples of this, in contrast to “Dead Horse” which deserves credit for trying to change the mood but ultimately doesn’t really convince.

 -  Neil B
 

Sleazegrinder

These burly Boston dirtbags have spent the last few years in their Antler  incarnation – frankly, resurrecting the original Roadsaw name is more a matter of formality than any sea change in artistic direction. See You in Hell is the same soulful, aggressive classic rawk & roll we’ve come to expect from Craig Riggs, Ian Ross, Tim Catz and whoever’s standing on stage with ‘em. If anything, it’s better than anything else they’ve ever done – the warmth and tuneful quality that manifested during the Antler years is carried over the old firm, with no loss of power or testicular fortitude. That this bunch just gets better and better at that songwriting thing doesn’t hurt, either – “Look Pretty Lonely,” “The Rules” and the title slab would score if they played ‘em acoustically. Speaking of which, Roadsaw actually does the unplugged thing with “Dead Horse” and it’s brilliant. So basically the band sounds great, the songs are really good and Riggs sings the shit out of everything. I love a band that just gets better and better with age.

- Michael Toland 
 

AllMusic.com

See You in Hell! marks the unexpected return of Boston stoner rock posse Roadsaw after a half-decade sojourn that saw members involved with several different band projects (most notably the Southern rock infused Antler) but apparently none of them as satisfying as the place they originally called home. Hey, it happens. Now reunited for what amounts to their fifth studio album, the group gets right back to the business of rawkin' and, err...rawlin', just like in the old days; bridging the classic rock decades with their usual timeless ease, and certainly showing no sign of all the time that elapsed since they last recorded together. As such, introductory nuggets like "Who Do You Think You Are" and "Look Pretty Lonely" are chipped off the mountainside just as unpolished and rough-hewn as surviving Roadsaw fans would please; and along with subsequent foot-stomper "Up to You," they instantly renew the combustible, yet symbiotic relationship between vocalist Craig Riggs' emotive growl an guitarist Ian Ross' snarling guitars. But the bandmates are also frequently happy to shrug off their gruff exterior in order to weave more melodious tones and harmonies into tracks like "The Rules," "Leavin'," and what may be the best hybrid of both styles: the energetic, incredibly catchy "Go It Alone." Less striking than these are a handful of unusually slothful, at times downright anemic numbers, including "It's Your Move," the title track (both of which take a little too long going nowhere) and the Mellotron-assisted pair of "Dead Horse" and "Receive," which, likewise, never truly comes into focus. At the end of the day, though, See You in Hell! augurs a welcome resumption to Roadsaw's long-interrupted career, and now it's only a question of whether the band can make it last.

 - Eduardo Rivadavia

Daredevil Records (Germany)

After some silent years, one of the oldest Stoner / Heavy Rockers from the states are back with a new output! SEE YOU IN HELL! is a massive statement to the scene and the fourth record was reduced to the minimum. Simple Stoner Rock riffs, a lot of great vocal melodies and a huge power are the trademark of SEE YOU IN HELL, the first record since roughly six years. And Darryl Shepard, who last played with the band in 1997, is back on guitar. And they created together their best output so far!  After the INTRO, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE starts with a lot of power and a mighty Stoner Rock riff. And I was surprised by the power of the band – especially the home come from Darryl give that sound an extra kick! Listen to the riff of WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE and the solo and you will know what I mean! LOOK PRETTY LONELY reminds me a little on some of the legendary UNIDA stuff. GO IT ALONE features a great refrain with a great melody and is real highlight in the Stoner Rock scene! Puh – so far only killers! THE RULES is slower and will give you for the first time a little pause. UP TO YOU could be a riff written by Arthur Seay (UNIDA / HOUSE OF BROKEN PROMISES) and kicks ass! DEAD HORSE is an acoustic track and very emotional before LEAVIN, one of the highlights on SEE YOU IN HELL, will kill your brain. This song drift away a little to the mainstream rock stuff and the vocal melodies (Craig Riggs on vocals did an awesome job on this record with his soulful singing) are awesome. This song has the potential to get airplay on some radio stations. IT`S YOUR MOVE is a groovy Stoner Rock song and RECEIVE close this record with some Hammond sounds again a mighty vocal line. I have to mention the great input and power of the drummer Jeremy Hemond from CORTEZ. He did a solid and heavy groove under the great guitar riffs! There is no bullshit on SEE YOU IN HELL, a lot of killer riffs and a mighty groove! This is the best ROADSAW output so far and in 2008 one of the Stoner Rock highlights! If you like that strong and simple sound with a lot of melodies - give ROADSAW a second chance! With this record they will be the Stoner Rock leaders soon!

Genre: Stoner Rock
Music: 8
Sound: 8
Info: 11 Songs / 46 Minutes

 - Jochen

The Cutting Edge

We’ve been stewing on this record for a couple weeks now and must admit Roadsaw have hit on what can only be described as the most formidable representation of their bone-crushing sound yet. True, 2002’s Rawk and Roll was a near classic but then the band disintegrated and for awhile looked doomed to the history books. Six years later the unthinkable happened and all Boston rejoiced as Roadsaw announced their return with their fourth slab of wax. The first word that comes to mind when listening to See You in Hell is balance. From the organ-lace keyboard “Intro” to the fuzzed out tornado that is “It’s Your Move,” the Massachusetts five-piece combine elements of Tool, Soundgarden and Fu Manchu with great attention to composition and sequencing. Going all the way back to their early beginnings in the mid-90’s See You In Hell is less punk-driven and more soul defining while still holding on to a big guitar punch. “Who Do You Think You Are” and the southern-tinged “Leavin” will rattle your brain, but listening to the acoustic desert echoing of “Dead Horse” shows the band still hold fast to their Sky Valley Kyuss worship.

The elegance of mood-setting “Receive” would have sounded out of place on the group’s 1998 biker-meets-trucker opus Nationwide but here, conjures up reverence for the unearthly tones of Uriah Heep, Hawkwind and early Sabbath. Originators bassist Tim Catz, vocalist Craig Riggs and guitarist Darryl Shepard hold the band to a high musical standard which climaxes with the pummeling “Look Pretty Lonely.” The track is catchy, intensely heavy and focused on the groove with Riggs doing his best Chris Cornell. Not to be outdone comes the roar of “Go It Alone” with Shepard and second guitarist Ian Ross peeling off one blistering riff after another. The fuse of evil power chords mixed with the a mega-ton rhythmic dirge sells “The Rules” as classic 70s rock and when they through in a bit of creepy pipe organ you have the title track “See You In Hell”. It’s easy to see why these guys are celebrated among the motor-stoner crowd when “Up To You” leaves beads of sweat dripping from your speakers. If you still believe in rawk, buy this mother.

 - Todd K Smith

KvltSite

People ask me how we manage to discover so many obscure bands all the time. Thinking about it, it's pretty straight-forward once you operate below the well packaged mainstream. You make friends off and online, discuss music with them, share and take recommendations from them. Then you check out related bands, side-projects and so on, if you are really into a band you've found. Internet forums, communities, social networks, blogs, p2p are some of the modern tools especially useful for an underground musician to spread the word. But there are some means that has never changed. Right at the top of that list are the elaborate thank lists on album sleeves (Can't forget Lee Dorian's list on Cathedral's Forest of Equilibrium, of course). Another tried and tested method is to blindly try out releases from a label that you've come to trust. Small Stone is one of those labels.

All I know about Roadsaw is that See You in Hell is some sort of a comeback album (after a six year hiatus). I can't tell you how these guys sounded back then, but this album has had me singing along as passionately as a 13 year old girl at a Morrissey concert.

Roadsaw, like their comrades Ironweed are big on the typical heavy fuzz metal with that southern slant, but unlike Ironweed who seem to bring in some 90s influences, these guys dig out some of the mighty 70s for inspiration. Take Go it Alone for example. The first riff nearly quotes a Rainbow riff and goes on to be this driving, motivational arena anthem with big catchy vocals. There are a couple of riffs from the Led Zep template too, not to mention the big drum sound and the Groovy To The Max® chemistry between the guitars and drums, but Roadsaw manage to rise above all that, thanks to the power of the big fat groove, rocking riffs, songs with dynamics and those seemingly endless hooks coming from the vocalist. Also on display throughout the album are some tasty melodic and rocking guitar playing, those 70s style effects and the resultant ballsy tone, all very essential ingredients to this band's sound and attitude.

Something like It's Your Move might begin all down-tempo sludgy, but the chorus modelled after the classics is fucking undeniably kick ass. The album closer Receive too, sort of a ballad ( and not in the Still Loving You sense) has a great central riff they keep coming back to, supported by those beautiful organs, and has a chorus to kill for. Watch out for some more exceptional songs including the title track, Looking Pretty Lonely, Who Do You Think You Are and Dead Horse. Not a clunker on See You in Hell; highly recommended for all fuzz metal fans. Another winner from Small Stone.

 - Srikanth Panaman
 

StonerRock.com

At the 2005 Emissions from the Monolith Festival, Roadsaw frontman Craig Riggs admonished the crowd to "Maintain the fuckin' yeah." We wouldn't expect any less in return from the seminal Boston band and their back from the dead reunion album, See You in Hell.

Especially since See You in Hell, the first new material in roughly six years, boasts not only 3/4 of the line-up from 2002's Rawk n' Roll (Craig Riggs – vocals, Tim Catz – bass, Ian Ross – guitar, with drummer Hari Hassin replaced by Cortez' Jeremy Hemond) but also original lead guitarist Darryl Shepard, who last played with the band on 1997's Nationwide. That makes this version of the band a sort of supergroup, and that ups the level of expectation.

After a cute/pointless introduction that reminiscent of the music played at the end of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the band delivers as promised. “Who Do You Think You Are” is a gut puncher of a song that's about as classic Roadsaw as you can get. It's got a heavy, pummeling main riff, a driving rhythm, soulful vocals, a shit hot solo, and plenty of attitude. “Look Pretty Lonely,” the second track, doesn't miss a beat either. It's reminiscent of past bruisers like “Satellite” and “Bad Ass Rising” - it just lays into you relentlessly.

Come to think of it, See You In Hell is pretty much exactly what's needed until the eighth track, “Dead Horse.” This ballad isn't bad, but it does sound more like an outtake from Antler, the mellower, more Southern rock leaning group that Riggs and Catz started up in the first part of this decade. There are a handful of other tracks where Roadsaw slows things down a touch (“The Rules,” the title track, “Leavin',” and “Receive”), but in those cases they don't come off so mawkish.

Most reunion albums fall short of expectations, but not so with See You in Hell. There may not be any surprises – Roadsaw is as Roadsaw does – but there are enough killer, no bullshit riffs to maintain the fuckin' yeah for a long time. Recommended.

 - John Pegoraro
 

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1. Intro
2. Who Do You Think You Are?
3. Look Pretty Lonely
4. Go It Alone
5. The Rules
6. See You In Hell
7. Up to You
8. Dead Horse
9. Leavin
10. It's Your Move
11. Receive
12. Outro