Assjack

Should it really surprise anyone that Shelton Hank Williams III would be every bit as incorrigible and rebellious as the two generations of musicians that spawned him? Williams III has always had an interest in punk, hardcore and other extremes in industrial and metal music far beyond the reaches of his honky-tonk legend grandfather. On tour, he keeps an entire line-up. In the studio, he plays all the parts himself. Reminiscent in spots of his previous Florida death metal band Hellbilly, Assjack even sports a few melodies amongst the chaos. “Wasting Away” pummels with the usual carpal-tunnel inducing riffage and the “cookie monster” vocals that permeate everything, but they break down for memorable vocal lines and set the pace for other juggernauts of modern metal. “Chokin’ Gesture” suggests Guns N’ Roses with the heaviness twisted towards a metal extreme and some grimy sounding primitive keyboards under the groove. “Cut Throat,” “Smoke the Fire” and “Cocaine the White Devil” form the majestic trilogy at the album’s center where all Williams’ horrors come together in perfect death-metal flight.