Sir Hedgehog

"Sir Hedgehog"
(Abstract Sounds)

First thing I'm thinking by the title and rather grotesque cartoonery surrounding their self-titled breakthrough is the rebirth of Iron Monkey. Six years since starting out and selling out their self-released "The Legend Of." EP, the mighty Hedgehog, no relation to Sonic, I believe, come straight for the soul on this stone-washed seventies' stained sun spot of a record that bows briefly then yields from the likeliest of Sabbath sources, splitting the stray facial hair or two for a more demanding stab at Stoner, Doom, and Soundgarden. While tunes like "Otherside" and "Magic Garden" veer off into veritable jam sessions of power scales and drumming, "Mountain Of Attention" saunters off the less obscured path with Zeppelin-esque subtleties surrounding a wrap around chorus befitting of the greatest '77 arena-ranked sing-alongs. While no lyrics are enclosed, in spite of sexually suggestive or might we say sarcastically excessive titles inasmuch as "Monster," "Gimme The Bone" or "Bitchlord" might reveal, and that's not counting "The Cleavage And The Clamp," they come away more "stuff" than side-effectual "fluff", evidently content to go bottoms up on the Boddington's and bong loads well after the final bell's been rung. The tunes are well aimed, played and tight, employing no less and occasionally more than the typically "Classic" Rock bursts of yesterday's strobe-struck enthusiasts that could pack a house and play with fire in their fingers and here, no less dominant a role goes to singer Jonas Fairley who maneuvers through Hard Rock's developmental stages as swiftly as scaling a range of octaves, quick changing from Plant to Wagner to Cornell from one jam to another, stopping for breath only on the monstrous "twelve" minute instrumental closer that's worth sticking around for till the end. In fact if the impending Trouble comeback album were to sound anything like this, people would go ape shit. and hog wild!

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