Henry Blacker feature two blokes from arty-metal collective Hey Colossus along with another bloke who’s related to one of ’em. Hungry Dogs Will Eat Dirty Puddings was written in a Somerset barn and recorded by Tim Cedar from underrated noisesters Part Chimp. “YOUR MIND IS STILL IN 1992!” they bark on the swaggeringly cantankerous ‘Your Birthday Has Come and Gone’. This line could be self-criticism, yelled into a cracked and sullied looking glass. Yes, their clearest reference points dwell in that era (and geographically the American Midwest, not maraca-rattling Manchester), even down to the bold Cows/Jesus Lizard vibe of the artwork. Steve Albini’s assorted activities and the perennially stimulating Melvins also come to mind, not to mention Harvey Milk’s emotionally-fragile…
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…sludgework. Nothing wrong with that, so long as it’s done well, and Blacker sure as hell do that.
Fuzzed-up cool-dude boogie-stomp opener ‘Crab House’ could be a limey cousin to Josh Homme’s Desert Sessions, based in the West Country instead of Joshua Tree, deprived of Homme’s rich resources, fancy-ass equipment, A-list compadres and PJ Harvey’s shepherd’s pie (and all the better for it). It gets really fun towards the end when the vocalist abandons his stoner croon to wobble his loose-cheeked face from side to side in close approximation of the Tasmanian Devil. This phat ditty also earns bonus points for its worthy subject matter: being eaten alive by giant crabs. ‘Scumblood’ headbangs along as if Fu Manchu’s ‘Evil Eye’ has been inhabited by several raucous, foulmouthed squatters. And slow-jam ‘Pearlie’ is Duane Denison bad trippin’ with Gene Ween in a haunted abattoir.
Catchy, meaty, grubby, and bolstered by a feral Beefheartian belligerence, what’s not to like about this trio? With groups like Henry Blacker packing such a powerful punch/power serve/pitching swing, it’s game on, Uncle Sam. Game on!