PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Country Rock? Southern Rock? Whatever you want to call it, Canadian rockers The Sheepdogs have put their own stamp on these genres culminating in their recently released EP Hell Together. To say it caught my attention immediately is an understatement as these six songs are stunning!
It follows their Paradise Alone EP, recorded a few months after it, celebrating twenty years together making music, by releasing it on their own label, Right On Records, recorded in the heart of Toronto.
The first play of ‘Now Or Never’ is like the most beautiful jam i’ve ever heard, courtesy of band fuelled vocal harmonies, slinky slide work, sparse drum patterns as piano and organ add lovely nuances midway, closing on precisely picked guitar lines.
‘Handle My Biz’, first single taken from the EP is a shimmering shuffle, once again has stratospheric height reaching, shared vocals for a ballad of love lost.
‘My Home Is Burning’ is a song so laid back, it’s almost horizontal as a lead vocal transcends, giving off a vibe like ‘Golden Years’ by Bowie. Guitar lines are like a gentle breeze to get our toes tapping towards a jaw dropping twin lead guitar outro.
‘The Working Man’, of course not the Rush classic, but gives off a ‘Taking It Easy’ vibe that’s dished out with aplomb for some smooth as silk verses that capture the dirt under the fingernails frustration of getting home from a hard days work.
Their country influences swoop and soar throughout ‘Jeroboam’ on some quirky passages that flit around stadium filling choruses par excellence, point proven by “Bring me a Jeroboam, play it to me all night long, make me a palindrome, rock me like a rolling stone”.
‘Hell Together’ kicks out the jams for a six minute heart melter to end the EP in style, charming the birds from the trees with a totally captivating performance.
The Sheepdogs band info is here :- http://thesheepdogs.com
EP track listing :-
Now Or Never.
Handle My Biz.
My Home Is Burning.
The Working Man.
Jeroboam.
Hell Together.
Band personnel :-
Ewan Currie – Lead Vocals/Guitar.
Ryan Gullen – Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals.
Shamus Currie – Keys/Backing Vocals.
Ricky Paquette – Guitar/Backing Vocals.
Sam Corbett – Drums/Backing Vocals.
After parting ways with Warner Music Canada in 2022, The Sheepdogs have been able to buy back a large portion of their award-winning catalogue, as Ryan Gullen adds,“We want to keep the music flowing constantly. In a World flooded with content, there’s no better way to stay connected with our fans than by recording and releasing music regularly”.
