Raging Slab
The Dealer

THE REVIEW

Raging Slab is a band originally formed back in 1983, starting with the two founding members, Elyse Steinman (bottleneck guitar) and Gregory Strzempka (vocals, guitar). Formed during critical years for the sound of southern hard rock, they go against the grain by proposing a sonic line dedicated to hard rock from at least ten years prior. It's 2001, and after eight years of silence since their last album (Sing Monkey Sing), they return with "The Dealer", an album with "swampy" sounds, with rough and well-crafted riffs, and a truly exhilarating bottleneck guitar (obviously for those who appreciate it...). An image and a sound that takes us back to the times of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Oak Arkansas, and ZZ Top in their golden years.

Sixteen intense tracks, with a strong and loaded sound, which give us a respite (so to speak) in the first side of the lp with the track "Chasin The Dragon", full of putrid and swampy atmospheres, accompanied throughout by Strzempka's voice, worn out by vices, combined with a slide that makes the sound almost oppressive. Simply fantastic. On the second side, we find a more active sound for the other eight songs but equally hard boogie, up to the strange "Good Morning Lil Schoolboy", strange because it is interpreted in a feminine tone by the eclectic Elyse Steinman, with a hoarse and lived-in voice. . . . I recommend those who enjoy the genre to listen to it as soon as possible, preferably on vinyl.