Customer Reviews

Hex (Dig)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're new to Bigelf, imagine Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd and early ELO having been put in a blender! Some bands go down the retro route without the musical ability or the determination to pull it off wholeheartedly. These criticisms can not be levelled at Bigelf.
I would recommend this album to anybody who likes Classic Rock music.

Check them out at their official website: [...]

There are alot of things to admire about Bigelf: great vocals; crisp recording/engineering; heaven-sent riffs that Iommi would be proud of; and, of course, that MELLOTRON. That being said, Hex is another fine offering from one of the great, but relatively unknown Statewide, retro bands to come out this millenium along with Monster Magnet. It is Bigelf, however, that delve deepest into authentic 60's/70's vibes that permeate throughout this band's great music.

The album's opener, "Mad Hatter", sets the tone for the entire album very convincingly. You can't help but like Damon Fox's vocal approach and admire his range, gelling so perfectly with the band's sound. The album's highlight is "Disappear", which has an absolutely wonderful arrangement and is just so durn catchy. The organ & mellotron work from Fox are also admirable on this & every track. You really can't get enough of this stuff if Retro Rock is you bag.

The reason for taking a star off of an otherwise perfect 5 star album is based on the band's preponderance for cliched chord prgressions. The Beatlesque harmonies & chromatically descending chord progressions that would make George Harrison proud begin to wear on me after the 25 minute mark. It becomes an all-too-easy temptation to throw in those Beatle things (being that they worked so well for the Beatles, Raspberries, Badfinger, etc.) that would normally make any song a winner. For Bigelf, the whole retro trip can go from clever to slavish imitation real quick without some restraint. Well, let's face the facts - we've all heard this stuff before and the originals are just irreplacable. This problem is due to the simple fact that Bigelf are 30+ years after the fact. I, for one, applaud their efforts to resurrect the sounds of the ancients, it's just that in doing so they are sacrificing any trace of originality the band could hope to establish & develop.

Like I said before, this is a solid 8/10 album and well worth your chump change. I'm more than happy with my purchase & sounds great on my car deck. It's also great to see a band like Bigelf have enough courage & enthusiasm for great classic music to want to contribute & pinch some of it along the way. I will be looking foward to their next release.

I first heard these two "easier to listen to" songs "Pain Killers" and "Madhatter" and was amazed! This is like Sabbath brought to 21st century. But then I got the whole album and realized that this is so much more! There's all the best things of the 60's and 70's all put together and mixed up. You can hear some Zeppelin, Floyd, Beatles and even early days Bowie from the album, but still there's BE's own recognizable sound. I love it! I would even love this group more after seeing them live! My rating: 666 out of five ;)

Awesome release from Bigelf. This album is how rock music should sound and completely blows anything else save the rock god's they lend from away. This is music to carry the true rock/metal torch into the new age. Awesome songs, awesome lyrics, excellent vocals and just a class act job all the way. This is a new band to really keep an eye on, they will be huge.

The third excellent release from this criminally underrated LA band, Hex continues in the vein of its predecessors, but more riff driven and with less of the over the top Hammond sound so prevalent on those albums. Highly recommended to fans of progressive hard rock.

Apparently this album was completed back in 2003, but its only been recently released by an American label over here which is shame, because this is one of the best albums of any genre I've heard in the last several years. Much has been made about the bands 'ode to the 70's' rock sound, but what really stand out here is the very strong song-writing and vocal harmonies. (not too mention that fantastic keyboards/mellotron) There's not a clunker to be found here, each song really stands out which is rare to find in modern rock albums. Their sound has been described as putting Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Uriah Heep, and a dose of the Beatles into a blender, and without a doubt this is the result. One could easily dismiss them as a nostalgia act, if it weren't for the absolute brilliant song-writing and execution. They are close to releasing a new album and I really look forward to it. These guys will be well-known rock stars this year, guaranteed!

THESE GUYS ARE THE SAVIORS OF ROCK! NOW WE CAN ALL GET A COPY OF THIS HUGE ALBUM. THIS THING IS A GEM FROM 1ST TO LAST. SABBATH MEETS ZEPPLIN MEETS FLOYD, OR MAYBE THIS IS UNLIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE HEARD SINCE THE 70'S. THIS IS ROCK!

Big Elf is an amazing band...they borrow sounds from the 70's heavy stoner music mixed with great vocal harmonies to create a sound all they're own...kinda like a mix between Monster Magnet & The Beatles with some organ thrown in for good measure. I was pretty happy when I found out that "Hex" finally got a US release that's truthfully long overdue and snapped it up imediately as the import was impossible to come by. Every song is good in it's own way...can't wait for their new disc due out soon.

like the others have said, this band is really good;
soupy stoner rock for the whole family, you can get this cd very cheap used on here also.. check out mars volta & stone rider as well

First of all, "alot" isn't a word.

But that's neither here nor there.

What's here AND there is this band. Bigelf never fail to sound like a dilapidated carousel sputtering out its last breath. That might be okay for one song per album (just like The Beatles and Saigon Kick used to do), but for every stinking song to sound this way is unforgivable. There are A LOT (two words) of people out there who enjoy this kinda thing, and I think that's great. "There's someone for everyone and Tommy's love was Becky" (you Kenny Rogers fans know what I'm talkin' about) BUT this is not for me. I'll gladly listen to the worst of ELO ("No Answer") rather than listen to this big, giant, little elf's music again.

In short: Not for me. [Take that for what it's worth]

Love,
A Future Fan