Wah Pedal

A fiery guitarist and talented songwriter who plays a unique blend of Memphis R&B, southwest blues, and urban funk. Collection includes: Hell Or High Water (2002); The Hard Way (2004); Moment Of Truth (2007); Speak No Evil (2009); Red Clay Soul (2016); Winning Hand (2018).

Following 10 years of studio silence in the wake of his recent return stint with Accept and his ongoing solo efforts, Herman Frank’s original flagship project and long-running hard rock meets heavy metal icon Victory returns with a fresh lineup and coat of paint to match…

If you buy into all the hype and the look, then all your standard journalistic clichés about "a man playing like he was possessed" would certainly seem to apply in the case of this record. Eric Sardinas has only one groove, and that's the one with the pedal put firmly to the metal. Playing electric Dobro gives his sound a raw, distorted edge right down to the wah-wah pedal that flirts with comparisons to George Thorogood and other ham-fisted slide rockers (he plays unamplified on his originals "Cherry Bomb," "Goin' to the River," and "Sweetwater Blues"), although Sardinas is a considerably more able player than Thorogood. Comparisons with Johnny Winter would also not be unfounded; he makes a guest appearance here on vocal and guitar on his "Tired of Tryin'." Hubert Sumlin is also brought aboard to reprise his original rhythm part of "Down in the Bottom," although he's totally swamped in the mix by Sardinas' over the top bombast, both vocally and instrumentally. Fans of the Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Winter, and George Thorogood style of blues-rock will want to add this one to the collection.

Dead Meadow's unique marriage of Sabbath riffs, dreamy layers of guitar-fuzz bliss, and singer Jason Simon's high-pitched melodic croon have won over psychedelic pop/rock and stoner rock fans alike, while elements of folk and pop would creep into their formula over time. Although the band's members met while attending all-ages shows in and around Washington, D.C.'s punk/indie scene, the trio draws more of its sound from such classic rock legends as Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath. The trio formed in the fall of 1998 out of the ashes of local indie rock bands the Impossible 5 and Coulour, with singer/guitarist Simon, bassist Steve Kille, and drummer Mark Laughlin. The three members set out to fuse their love of early-'70s hard rock and '60s psychedelia with their love of fantasy and horror writers J.R.R. Tolkien and H.P. Lovecraft. Collection includes: "Dead Meadow" (2000); "Howls From The Hills" (2001); "Got Live If You Want It!" (2002); "Shivering King And Others" (2003); "Feathers" (2005); "Old Growth" (2008); "Three Kings" (2010); "Warble Womb" (2013).