Weedeater – Jason… The Dragon (2011) [Southern Lord] // Grade: A-

I’m from Wilmington, North Carolina, the home of Weedeater and I’ve seen Dixie Dave and the boys tear speakers and ear drums to shreds many a times. What I’m saying is, I know this band quite well. Not them as individuals, but the band’s talent and potential. When they signed to Southern Lord, I was pretty stoked. Finally, some production and money would be backing them. Upon hearing their last release in 2007, God Luck & Good Speed, my hopes had come true. They fucking killed it!

I went from seeing them play venues down by Monkey Junction, outside Carolina Beach and Kure Beach, to catching them in NYC opening for other great acts. Dixie Dave still sucks the ‘Tussin and consumes pills handed to him by the audience just like he used to in the 910. I’m pretty confident in saying that aside from Sabbath, these guys were my first intro to real, down and dirty doom metal in the late 90′s. Now, it’s 2011 and they had a rough fucking time between their last album and now. Dave blew off part of his foot, Shep broke his toe and that set the production for Jason… The Dragon back.

Knowing what Steve Albini has done for bands like High on Fire, I was beyond stoked when I received the press-release announcing their new album. Arik Roper artwork. Check. Kick-ass producer. Check. How could they lose? Well, not that they lost anything but I was pretty bummed when the tracks loaded up to see that it comes in around 30 minutes. 4 years of touring, producing and editing amounted to only 30 minutes? What the fuck? Before you get as pissed as I did, I can assure you that these 30 minutes are still convincing of their “FUCK YOU” metal mentality.

Enter “The Great Unfurling”, the albums intro and a tale in itself about how most of the band-mates, as well as I, were raised: in a church. Numerous doom metal bands from the South have all stated that when you grow up under the Bible, the desire to do something really bad-ass only churns and burns with time. This intro is a great insight into that. The preacher speaks and before you know it “Hammerhandle” takes hold. And by take hold, I mean breaks down the fucking door. It’s so quick and swift that it comes across as slightly too calculated and dare I say it, but mainstream. Within seconds, Weedeater shows their true colors.

Their worn brows and sweaty trucker hats, coke-tinged facial hair and greasy fingernails come back for “Mancoon”. If there’s one band whose recordings capture their persona and live show it’s Weedeater. “Mancoon” goes straight for the jugular and as Dixie Dave’s Whiskey-soaked breathe comes down across the mic, you’re hooked like a mud fish. “Turkey Warlock” marks the moment of realization: these guys have really stepped up their sound. It’s clearer now and the production is as sharp as a Bowie Knife.

Coming in with a fierce eruption, through the bong smoke is “Jason… The Dragon” the title track. In all honesty, this is the only classic track on the album. It really screams Weedeater and the following cuts just don’t do it for me. “Palms and Opium” is out of place and could easily drop off the face of the planet. “March of the Bipolar Bear” is one very strange addition. But then “Long Gone” comes up and stands above most of the tracks. “Homecoming” is another progressive cut but the closer, “Whiskey Creek” loses the firm grip that Weedeater had on our throats.

By my mark, that makes only about 20 minutes of solid music from Weedeater on Jason… The Dragon. So what happened? Who knows. But I’ll mark it up to the fact that Weedeater very much still lives their lives as low-down and dirty southern spirits. I take pride in being from the south. Especially after living in NYC for 6 years. A place like New York could never spawn such a hell beast as Weedeater, no matter how hard it tries. There are some things that aren’t learned, you’re just born that way and Dixie Dave’s band surely embodies the south.

- Prolly