Weedeater - ...And Justice For Y'all Reissue (Album Review)

Album Type: Full Length (Reissue)

Date Released: 29/8/2014

Label: Season of Mist

‘And Justice for Y’all CD/DD/LP track listing:

1. Tuesday Night
2. Monkey Junction
3. Free
4. Hungry Jack
5. Shitfire
6. Calico
7. Truck Drivin Man
8. Southern Cross
9. #86
10. Bucket

Bio:

The South will smoke again. The Bible Belt state of North Carolina, USA seems a fertile ground for hemp and stoner rock. When cult sludge act BUZZOV•EN called it a day, bass player Dave "Dixie" Collins teamed up with guitarist Dave "Shep" Shepherd and founded WEEDEATER in the harbor town of Wilmington about the year 1998. Their crushing and massive first full-length "…and Justice for Y’all" created an immediate buzz, while critics were struggling to put a tag on their sound. Nearly everybody agreed that stoner rock, doom, sludge and some crusty elements were part of the mix, which the band simply calls "weed metal". The debut was produced by renowned engineer Billy Anderson (EYEHATEGOD, NEUROSIS) as well as sophomore album "Sixteen Tons" (2002).

WEEDEATER went out to perform live with CORROSION OF CONFORMITY and ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY among others. After some detours of Dixie Dave, who played shortly with BONGZILLA and SOURVEIN, the third album "God Luck and Good Speed" hit the world in 2007 and shifted the band’s focus slightly towards the stoner side. The latest full-length "Jason… the Dragon" got delayed when guitarist Shep lost a toe due to an incident with his favourite shotgun. When the sludge driven album finally came out in 2011 shows in the US and Europe cemented the band's reputation as a fierce live entity.

For the next release WEEDEATER have signed up with Season of Mist, which will reissue the complete back catalogue. Remastered and presented with its original artwork, "…And Justice for Y’all" will also be available on vinyl for the first time. Time to lean back and get high on this WEEDEATER cult classic!

The Band:

Dixie Dave | Bass, Vocals
Shep | Guitar, Vocals
Keith "Keko" Kirkum | Drums

Review:

My first encounter with Weedeater came in the form of a free download from Scion A/V a few months ago; when they released a specially recorded split with Pins of Light before their appearance at the Scion Rock Show series in Los Angeles. The bass heavy tone instantly grabbed my attention, with the harsh vocals and comical approach to lyrics complimenting the overall ambience of the track.

Now, with the re-release and re-mastering of their classic first album ‘…And Justice For Y’all’, Weedeater have teamed up with the hugely diverse French label Season Of Mist to bring their classic hits to a new audience of stoner and sludge fans.

The album starts with a hefty instrumental song of huge riffs and presence, easing the listener into what is set to be an adventure into the demented minds of North Carolina’s finest weedians. The track provides a glimpse at the overall tone of what you can expect from the rest of the record, without giving too much, enticing you to progress deeper.

Swiftly followed by the heavily blues influenced ‘Monkey Junction’, after a brief intro, the harsh vocals many associate with Weedeaters sound take centre stage. And by centre stage I mean they sit right In the middle of the mix, subtracting slightly from the relaxed feel of the track. Much can be said for vocalist Dixie Dave, who also takes bass duties in Weedeater. He has that high, raspy style that wouldn’t be too alien in a black metal track, yet somehow makes it slot nicely into the fuzzed up compositions, a very unique approach to stoner metal. Something odd however, is that this is the only track on the album that has this very berating feel to the vocals, it seems to reel back and feel more natural in the mix as the record progresses.

One fantastic quality of this album is the variation of speed and texture of the tracks. One minute they have you locked in a trance of monotonous riffs, the next, they up the tempo and sludge their way onto a sonic storm of powerful, noisy grind. Every track has its own characteristic. Weedeater seem to inject something special into each song, perfectly pacing the 10 tracks spanning a surprisingly short 35 minutes.

Making your way to the latter half of the record, you may come across a familiar tune, although you would be forgiven for not quite recognising it amongst the growly, screamy, cacophony of that signature Weedeater sound. Being a huge fan of Crosby, Stills and Nash, I couldn’t help but chuckle listening to them tear ‘Southern Cross’ A new one. Highly entertaining.

Mix wise, the re-mastering seems to have cleaned up the guitar and bass a fair bit. Gone are the room shaking sub bass frequencies, along with the harsh highs. The drums seem to sit a bit better too, with more space to get those kicks really noticeable. In my opinion, there are quite a few albums produced in the past 15 years who’s aim was to sound as lofi as possible, that could use a similar treatment (black metal I’m looking at you). Still, the remastering keeps much of the integrity of what made this album so special intact, it definitely doesn’t subtract from anything.

I am very pleased with this offering from Weedeater, I can’t wait to see what Season of Mist do with the rest of the back catalogue. You can pick up ‘…And Justice For Y’all’ August 29^th in either an all-new Jewel Case CD, or for the first time, Gatefold LP in various colours.  Thanks for Reading, Y’all!

Words by: Asher G. Alexander.

You can pre-order and buy it here

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