Seahag - 'The Rx Epidemic' EP (Review)

By: Eric Crowe

Album Type: Digital EP

Date Released: 17/9/2015

Label: Self Released

Metal never sounded so good and I’m glad these dudes woke from their slumber to produce this powerful and chaotic release. So many elements woven together with immaculate structure creating an intense ride that keeps this in constant rotation for me.

“The Rx Epidemic” DD track listing:

1. Gravestone Fraud

2. Hanged in Effigy

3. Refuse to Suffer

4. Garden of Rot

The Review:

After a 7 year slumber, Arkansas dirt metal champions, Seahag have returned with a voracious album! And what an album! It starts off by just grabbing you by the throat and never once even thinking about letting go. “Gravestone Fraud” comes straight out of the gate with high energy and an open can of whoop ass. Thick and heavy toms and chugging guitars rip into a heavy yet bouncy drive, with vocals guttural and throaty pushing with maximum force into your ears. The drive half times for a bit, bringing it more into a groove, and even slows a bit more with some single note trills reminiscent of ‘Left Hand Path’ by Entombed, which is bad ass! As the song progresses and slows down, it really seems to gain so much more power, with those crunchy guitars and drums pounding you into dust.

The power drive continues with “Hanged in Effigy” with a splash of D-beat, duel vocals that perfectly intertwine. Lots of palm muting and slight pauses before slowing down to a slower heavy blues riff with lots of guitar squeals that makes you wanna move and hurt things. Slower and slower the song creeps before coming to a close.

“Refuse to Suffer” picks it back up with a heavy as fuck riff and those guttural / throaty vocals like a punch in the gut. Such clarity and thick tones here, and the palm muting / chugging help build a tension and a dirty heaviness. The building tension breaks with the next part that has a heavy blackened feel, which makes me think of their song “Wasted” from their previous release “Our Presence Here Is In Vein.” And then in the blink of an eye that riff slows to a crawl, so filthy and covered in woe. Steady and plodding with the vocals swarming back and forth, then BAM, the riff picks back up for a couple measures for a blackened finish.

Closing out this EP is “Garden of Rot.”  In my opinion is a great closing track, bringing the whole album together. Solid riffs, with harmonized parts, breaking into faster parts with some tremolo picking and trading off tempo of the previous mentioned, to a more groove-like feel. With a slight break the track slows down with a super weighty riff that you just get trapped under pressing the air right out of your lungs. Love that smothering feeling in a song.

Metal never sounded so good and I’m glad these dudes woke from their slumber to produce this powerful and chaotic release. So many elements woven together with immaculate structure creating an intense ride that keeps this in constant rotation for me.

“The Rx Epidemic” is available via bandcamp

Band info: facebook | bandcamp