Staring at the Divine

Alabama Thunder Pussy | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 30, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Relapse
• ASIN: B0000632M4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #204,652 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Fans of old-school, Southern-tinged fuzz rock à la Corrosion of Conformity (with a dash of Trouble) will dig the underground groove-metal of Alabama Thunderpussy. With Pantera heaviness and a beer-drinking and hell-raising vibe, AT occupy the small if revered niche also populated by the likes of Kyuss, the Melvins, Raging Slab, early Fu Manchu, and Down. The Virginia-based quintet has been making records since the late '90s, and with Staring at the Divine, their fourth album (and first for Relapse), they've come through with 10 songs of winning, swampy, intense rumble-rock they've coined "moonshine metal." The twin-guitar harmonies of "Motor Ready" are Thin Lizzy-reminiscent, the song a headbanging and moshing meld of musicality. While Alabama Thunderpussy are loud-and-nasty blues metal, this tattooed, bearded bunch are surprisingly melodic--songs like "Hunting by Echo," the slow, hypnotic grind and sinuous solos of "Twilight Arrival," and the portentous-to-rollicking trippy twin-guitar outing that is "S.S.D.D." are highlights in a disc full of stellar subsonic sounds for the discriminating dirtbag. --Katherine Turman

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riff, August 16, 2002

By 

J. Sparks (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Staring at the Divine (Audio CD)

after crushing Riff. If you like Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Blue Oyster Cult. You know what I mean by craving Riff after crushing Riff. This band delivers.

Bands like this are living in poverty while weak, weak, weak music rules the airwaves and ... bands get rich. Its disgusting.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ATP rules!, August 16, 2002

By 

Sam Agami (Chesapeake, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Staring at the Divine (Audio CD)

Alabama Thunder Pussy is the best band you've never heard of. ATP delivers once again in their 4th album, their sound is unique as always. Their sound embodies the rage of the defeated south, a hybrid that combines the power and darkness of Black Sabbath with the soul and rightousness of Lynyrd Skynyrd. This album is very powerful, a monstorus growl of anger throughout, with the unrelenting guitar power that ATP unleashes at will. The surprising highlight of the album is the closing track, "Amounts that Count". It has kind of a bluegrass feel to it, but that doesn't mean its a weak track. Its an anthem for the betrayed, done as only the southern masters can. Do yourself a favor and check this album out. Try to find their other 3 albums as well, "Rise Again" , "River City Revival" , and "Constellation". They were small independent releases, but all are great and are worth the effort to seek them out.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Like to drink beer? Like to rock? Quit yer bellyaching and procure this. You can trust me, little boy., September 10, 2009

By 

M. Ameer "Cooler Than Hell (what?)" (Toledo, Ohio, I guess?) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Staring at the Divine (Audio CD)

"Blah blah, I like band X!" "Sweet deal! So do I! Blah blah. They're awesome and your awesome and this is awesome! Yayyyyy!" Alright, none of that. I'm writing this as a pitch on behalf of underpaid musicians who I think deserve support from people who would support them if they only knew the potential thrill that sits waiting. I have an extensive and diverse music collection and I like listening to music so much that I hardly ever listen to music (if I can't give the music my undivided attention, its not worth my time). I own few albums that I would say I like as a whole and I rarely appreciate an album the first time through.

This is an exception to the rule. How on earth does an album this good get so little acclaim and exposure? Answer: its just that good. My honest but ultimately insufficient description for this album follows: Bluesy, melodic, free-spirited, heavy, passionate, stoned-out and cocked-sideways hard rock. Emotions ranging from beligerence and fury to brooding solemnity and austerity (avoiding nihilism) to whatever it is you'd call the impulse to tip a bottle of backyard hooch all alone in the middle of the woods in an unfamiliar place only because you can or because you don't know how you got there. Admittedly, that makes no sense at all. Sorry. Damnit, I'll never succeed. Anyways, these guys are very in sync with eachother. There is a true "meeting of the minds" on this legendary piece of work. There is a tasteful display of depth in the songwriting that is either liberated, unhinged, and completely natural, or the converse: well-thought and meticulously calculated. Either way, they're guiding principle seems to be: do whatever works; meaning: do whatever we think sounds great and what we feel proud to put our name on, and anything else is unacceptable. That is the integrity behind this musical unit.

As much as I loath cliches, I must admonish you: play this album very loud (optimally while inebriated, but sober is still nothing short of exhilirating) or don't play it at all. The passion and deep focus is unbelievably consistent; they never give up their excitement and interest in what they create here. This is the apex of a jam session in that it isn't repetative and predictable but it manages to preserve the character of technical proficiency and cohesion. These guys know their instruments better than their women, but their musical knowledge is applied with restraint and finesse (referring back to that principle: do whatever sounds good). You can tell these guys were having the time of their lives while writing and recording this album. The music sometimes even ascends to the "epic" quality. Don't expect anything drawn out grandiose like Tool though. This is semi-sludge, gritty,snot-nose rock.

Alas, no description serves to do it justice. There is simply no worthy description for music this uncompromising and yet open-minded and creative (in approach), music this good. Maybe thats all I needed to say in the first place. Maybe this steers you right. Maybe I failed. OK,enjoy. (or don't) Cheers! (as I take a drink from my bottle of evian).