Molly Hatchet

Justice

Price: 11.75

Review / Notes: Although I originally fell in love with southern rock via the excellent late 70’s / early 80’s output of Jacksonville’s Blackfoot, as I was later to discover, Florida’s largest metropolis had something even better to offer. Steeped in the proud southern traditions pioneered by the likes of The Allman Brothers, the Marshall Tucker Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet were without doubt the most ‘metal’ of the lot, which thinking back was possibly why my allegiances tended to gravitate towards the band. Since releasing their eponymous debut through Epic in 1978, Molly Hatchet have had their fair share of ups and downs – indeed, only guitarist Dave Hlubek remains from the original band, and his tenure was only resumed a few years back – but throughout it all, they’ve managed to maintain the sort of musical consistency most can only dream of. With 1985’s ‘Double Trouble Live’ set, they released (in my opinion at any rate) one of the greatest live extravaganzas of all time (in this or any genre), although it has to be said that they came pretty damn close again with ‘Locked And Loaded’ back in 2003. As for individual songs, countless Molly Hatchet tracks regularly appear in the ‘Top 100 ...’ charts so beloved of the music press, attract regular airplay on radio across the States, and have come to symbolise the working class struggle for several generations in bondage to the daily grind. Discounting their ‘Best Of Re-Recorded’ set (‘the’ place to start if you’re new to the wonderful conundrum that is Molly Hatchet), ‘Justice’ is the twelfth studio album in their long and distinguished career, the first since the excellent ‘Warriors Of The Rainbow Bridge’ back in 2005. Now very much the progeny of guitarist Bobby Ingram (ex China Sky), it never ceases to amaze me how much Molly Hatchet in the 21st century sound just as impassioned and dedicated as they did all those years ago. Following on in the best traditions laid down over the years, ‘Justice’ is once again another fine example of Molly Hatchet doing what they do best. You want swaggering rockers? No problem, check out the likes of ‘Been To Heaven, Been To Hell’ or ‘Deep Water’, both featuring some typically deft guitar work from Hlubek and Ingram. Smouldering epics more your thing? Again, such tastes are well catered for with ‘Justice’ and ‘Gonna Live ‘Til I Die’, both of which allow the band to really open up and let rip the emotion. Talking of which, the rather poignant ‘Fly On Wings Of Angels (Somer’s Song)’ is a power ballad dedicated to the memory of a little girl who was abducted and murdered last year. Does ‘Justice’ top ‘Warriors ...’? Probably not quite, but for the most part it gives it a damn good run for its money, and as such is a worthy, nay essential, addition to any self respecting Molly Hatchet collection. (D.Cockett)