Like its predecessor, A Place Called Bad is impeccably performed, ass-kicking, and fun. Although both albums bring to mind 70's bands like Lynard Skynard and ZZ Top of that period, and to a lesser degree Stooges-influenced and proto-stoner 80's rock, on Man's Ruin Revisited the boogie-woogie factor is more pronounced, whereas APCB places more emphasis on country & blues. Most of the tracks are satisfyingly revved up, some having nice, trashy, slowed-down sections--"Ball 'n' Chain Woman," "Bury Yer Brother," "Runnin' Lo' on Fumes," "Bastard's Degree." The bluesier songs work better for me than the more heavily country-flavored ones. "Same Ol Fuckery," which features a dobro, is simply too hillbilly-oriented for my taste, whereas the smoldering "Altamont Man" is captivating from start to finish, its sultry movement similar to that of MRR's "Black Water Fever" but with a greater feeling of urgency. "Heroes and Outlaws," another standout, has slow, moody verses and a chorus that goes from hyper to sort of groovy, as well as an especially great vocal.

Lyrically, APCB deviates even further from the League's first three releases than was the case with MRR, where there is some of the sophisticated language and thought of the earlier recordings. With few exceptions ("Another Place Called Bad," "Heroes and Outlaws"), APCB's lyrics are less interesting, more generic expressions of redneck angst/celebration.

If Man's Ruin Revisited left you longing for the uniqueness, palpable darkness, epic qualities, musical layers, and poetic, erudite lyrics of Ichor and Utopia A. D., A Place Called Bad will probably do likewise. Jarva is still a vocal god, however, and even though his voice is differently nuanced and doesn't crawl under your skin as often or in quite the same way as before, his performance is, as always, superb. And having a new second guitarist, drummer, and bassist has taken nothing away from the excellent musicianship fans of The Black League are accustomed to. If anything, they're even more technically sound than the former line up was on the last album. Although the style of music the band performs on A Place Called Bad is in no way as special as their earliest material, it's extremely well executed. You won't find this sort of thing done better. Still, it's tempting to interpret the brevity of this album as a sign that the creative inspiration this form has for The Black League is waning and that they're ready to move on to something else--not necessarily an exact "revisiting" of what they did before, but perhaps something in a more northerly direction.

written by Maud

Playing time: 36.27