Texas Hippie Coalition: Peacemaker

Southern metallers still sticking to the old ways

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Southern metal’s strength is its ability to branch out while still keeping a strong sense of place. While bands like Hellyeah are wedded to fairly traditional roots, a wave of stoner rockers are taking the Bible Belt and its surrounding areas into a territory that is less about Stetsons and more about spliffs and pummelling riffs.

Texas Hippie Coalition claim to have invented a new sound, Red Dirt Metal, which is all about classic Southern rock and Texas power grooves. To be fair, there’s a bit of straddling going on. Imagine Down without the sludge credentials, throw in a bit of ZZ Top swagger, a bucket load of BLS and, well, you get the idea.

But essentially the vibe on Peacemaker is about grabbing a bottle of Jack and reaping havoc (see Outlaw opening bar: ‘I’m like a hurricane a-comin, beh-beh’) in the most predictable but heartwarmingly, er, redneck way. Despite their claims, they’re not doing anything new but you could stick a lot worse on your player when it’s time to crack open a fresh one.

Holly Wright

With over 10 years’ experience writing for Metal Hammer and Prog, Holly has reviewed and interviewed a wealth of progressively-inclined noise mongers from around the world. A fearless voyager to the far sides of metal Holly loves nothing more than to check out London’s gig scene, from power to folk and a lot in between. When she’s not rocking out Holly enjoys being a mum to her daughter Violet and working as a high-flying marketer in the Big Smoke.