Customer Reviews

Open Fire

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

 

 

ATP's Fulton Hill is one of my favorite albums and I am fond of my Exhorder CD's, so maybe I came to Open Fire with excessively high expectations, but it didn't deliver what I liked about either group. It does not revisit the Sabbath-in-Alabama boogie metal of early ATP, let alone the astonishing variety of Fulton Hill. Nor does it deliver the rhythm-driven, pre-Pantera metal of Exhorder. And forget about the fabulous marriage of the two that I imagined (which on reflection probably sounded a lot like Down's first album). The music is more like what you would expect from the artwork: theatrical metal mixing gravelly vocals with screams that at times edge a little too close to the 80s (perhaps because they are layered?). Sorta like Judas Priest after simmering it for two decades and adding a dash of the U.S. South. The guitar work is still impressive and some of the songs have catchy riffs and/or catchy melodies, so I'm sure I'll pop Open Fire into the CD player every once in a while to keep from burning out on my other ATP discs, but it's far from the high point of their catalogue.

Maybe now that Johnny Throckmorton has left Immortal Avenger he can come back to ATP. Then they can stop jerking around with new singers and screwing up their sound. I just can't get into this album. Oh well, I never get tired of listening to Staring at the Divine

First off, I completely went into this album knowing that Johnny Weils had been replaced with Kyle Thomas, former singer of legendary metal band Exhorder (you know, the ones that Pantera bit all of their style from). Anyways, I had high hopes for this album and ATP followed through and then some. I got to experience most of these songs live on their tour down to SXSW this past Spring 2007 and was blown away. Luckily, the album release date had already passed and I picked it up from their show.

Back to the ATP album: it rages! The songwriting on this album is what has really kept this album in heavy rotation for me. Choruses tend to nudge their way into your brain, especially the chorus to 'Void of Harmony.' I knew that Kyle could sing, but goddamn, he hits Rob Halford range on some songs (one of the ending notes of 'Words of the Dying Man' cracked my rear-view mirror... not really). His vocal lines run impeccably with the music and the band just sounds so much more cohesive as a unit since bringing him into the fold.

I will share one thing with you that upsets me a bit about this album: Relapse Records could really get behind this release and push the hell out of it and get 'Words of the Dying Man' more airplay and, in turn, ATP some more commercial coverage. I don't give a damn who you are, if you are a performing musician trying to make a living off of your craft and you are proud of what you've done musically, you want to see your band have some type of commercial success. Kyle's former band Exhorder had their style bit by Pantera and look who ended up blowing up from all that (the biters). I just hope that ATP get the success they deserve for being hard-working musicians. Buy this album! You won't regret your purchase if you like dirty Southern rock-n-roll/metal.

Alabama Thunderpussy returns with a new vocalist. At first I was a little concerned that this album would be a let down and would not be a marked improvement over past efforts, including the timeless Constellation and Staring at the Divine. But Kyle Thomas simply adds more power, more emotional intensity and just plain opens the nozel and stokes the flames to unheard of heights. Ryan Lake and Erik Larson provide enough inspirational riffage and earth shattering solo work that my head hasn't stopped bouncing to some of the catchiest budweiser pounding, mug rasing mastery that the Thunder provides on this masterwork. Welcome to Valhalla mortals. Be thankful you are welcome amongst these gods of metal as they shake the very foundations of your soul.

I had a chance to meet some of the guys like Eric Larson and Bryan Cox and have a few shots and some beers. I First saw them open for COC and I have been hooked since the first riff.

This album is balls to the wall metal. I have trouble describing it because it is such a unique sound that gives way to their influences from Sabbath to Skynyrd. I have told my friends try to imagine what it would sound like if Black Sabbath had been born and raised in Alabama instead of Birmingham, England.

All I can say is buy this frigging album. If you are like me and are sick of all the cookbook rock out there then this will cure what ales ya. I believe Alabama Thunderspussy is 1 of the 2 most under rated metal bands in the world. (Monster Magnet is the other)

I miss Jon Peters on bass. This band rocks, not classic rock, not exactly thrash metal, not exactly sludge, not exactly power metal, just rocks. I like their other albums especially Fulton Hill because they encomposed the gritty working class life of metal, drugs, drudgery, and southern charm that inbody life in Richmond VA. Anyone who has ever spend a signigicant length of time their and knows ATP will agree. Musically, however, Open Fire is a step forward for ATP and I hope it earns them the sucess they sorely deserve, these guys are balls out and most have been playing in this band forever. ATP may also be the greatest band name of the last two decades.

This is my favorite rock album of 2007 (and there's a lot of stiff competition). Probably my favorite in years. It's like when Star Wars came out, there was no question as to whether it was the best movie of the year -- no matter what came after in 77, Star Wars was THE movie. Open Fire is THE album.

Just try not screaming along to "the suuuun, the SUUUUN!" on "the beggar" while walking down the street to work lost in your headphones. It's impossible.

Pretty good outing. Had to wait almost 3 years for it though. Not worth the wait, Fulton Hill is a better outing by these guys.

I have read rave reviews for this album and heard excellent things about AT in general but I didn't enjoy this. I guess it just isn't my thing.

On the sticker on the CD it says something like "For fans of Down, COC, Soundgarden, Wolfmother..."

It shoulda said "For fans of lame early '80's metal, bad songs, no originality and lyrics so cheesy they come in a squeezable tube."

If it's your thing then fine. Just not mine.