The combination of
Phil Anselmo
and
Pepper Keenan
should be enough to cause
heavy metal
fans to drool, but with a full cast made up of members of
Pantera
,
Corrosion of Conformity
Crowbar
, and
Eyehategod
Down
is truly a supergroup, and performs as such. Make no mistake, though, the music inevitably comes back to
Anselmo
Keenan
.
NOLA
(an acronym for New Orleans, Louisiana) takes the two superstars' writing talents and distinctive sounds and focuses them in a feast of
Cajun
-style
. Like much of
's music,
is lyrically enigmatic and frequently celebrates the use of controlled substances. Glorification of cannabis aside, the album's true focus is inner melancholy and atonement for earlier sins.
's own brand of crunching axework -- the kind that typifies his work with
-- compliments
's genuinely sorrowful vocals, and the two propel the album to its logical conclusion without the flashy solos or other excesses that often accompany their separate works. The two also combine in a unique way on
"Pray for the Locust,"
an
instrumental
that was written by
but consists simply of
on the guitar. From the highly layered
"Stone the Crow,"
the group's only major radio hit, to the ponderous, introspective
"Bury Me in Smoke,"
the members of
display their abilities to play quality
rock & roll
outside the comfort of their individual bands. In terms of consistency and sheer
rock
power,
surpasses all but the very best of the featured artists' other works, and can proudly be embraced in any of the associated bands' catalogs. This is a landmark album that combines the talents of dedicated
musicians, and should be included in any collection of
music. ~ David Reamer