Valley of the Shadow of Death

Tossers | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 4, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Victory Records
• ASIN: B000B5Y000
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,968 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #11 in Music > World Music > Celtic > Rock
  • #81 in Music > Alternative Rock > New Wave & Post-Punk > Post-Punk

Editorial Reviews

Raised on the South Side of Chicago which is known for its huge Irish Catholic community, The Tossers emerged in the early 90's with their own brew of Celtic music fueled by a love of traditional folk songs and punk rock fury. After twelve years and four albums, The Tossers are back with The Valley of the Shadow of Death. It is a collection of songs that run the gamut from a requiem for Dee Dee Ramone to a scathing indictment of the war machine and the politics of profiteering. The Valley of the Shadow of Death was produced by Andy Gerber at Chicago's Million Yen Studios. Victory. 2005.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Irish influenced album of 2005!, October 23, 2005

By 

R. Perez "music buff" (Falls Church, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Valley of the Shadow of Death (Audio CD)

Inspired by bands like the Chieftains and Pogues in their Irish influenced folk/punk ways, we have the Tossers from Chi-town. As an avid fan of this genre I must say that the Tossers just keep getting better & better with each new album they put out. Their new album "The Valley of the Shadow of Death" blew me away the first time I heard it and still continues to do so. It's been two years since "Purgatory"(their last album) came out and I've been anxiously awaiting any new Tossers material. Unlike most bands of this genre that rely so much on traditional Irish tunes to carry most of their album, the Tossers possess tons of creativety when writing their own original lyrics. Lead singer and mandolin player, T. Duggins voice just matches the music so well, just check out the opening line in "Criminal of Me"-"My great, great, GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT Granda was a king!" and Becca's fiddle playin' sounds so superb, especially on the traditional "Preab San Ol"(translate "another round" of drinks) which opens up with 2 verses of Gaelic Irish, followed by 2 verses of English, but damn! This tune really jams out as it develops and now has become my favorite on the album. From the anthem like "No Loot, No Booze, No Fun" to the angst fury found on "I've Pursued Nothing" and to the inspirational "Crock of Gold"(would even make Shane MacGowan proud), there's not a bad track to be found on this album. They may not be as well known like other Irish influenced bands out there, but who cares! If they wanted Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys fans they could easily grab them. So without hesitation I can easily say this is the best Tossers album to date and the best Irish influenced album of 2005 and I highly recommend it!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Tossers Album to Date, October 21, 2005

By 

Ian A. Schultz (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Valley of the Shadow of Death (Audio CD)

After listening to the mandolin dominated Communication & Conviction, the Last Seven Years; the solid albums Purgatory and the Long Dim Road; and finally The Vally of the Shadow of Death, I can honestly say that this is the best Tossers album to date. The songs are well balanced and they have stayed true to the Irish/Punk roots that make their music work. I especially enjoy A Criminal of Me, The Crock of Gold, and the title track; but that is not to say there are any weak tracks on the album. If you're interested in hearing some Irish punk this would be a good place to start off, or perhaps listen to some of the Pogues, who started it all. If you've listened to some of the other Tossers albums and enjoyed them you'll surely enjoy this one as well. If you like some of the other bands out there like The Pogues, Flogging Molly, the Skels, and Blood or Whiskey, then you'll like these boys from Chicago too.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Celtic music is AWSOME!, January 20, 2006

By 

Rikk Burtin (in the closet) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Valley of the Shadow of Death (Audio CD)

I have been a fan of the dropkick murphys for many moons and also a fan of flogging molly. Though far more obscure the tossers are in the same leage as the previously mentioned bands. Though people say that they are irish punk i feel that they are realy closer to traditional irish music with a hint of punk influence. the resulting sound is astounding. this is the only tossers cd that i own but they are a new discovery for me and i plan on purchasing many more cds of theirs. i highly recomend this for anyone who likes irish music.