It was just about a year ago that Atlanta trio Volume IV — who I think it’s safe to say have the best band moniker to come along since Masters of Reality — self-released their self-titled debut EP, compiling four tracks in what save for its cohesiveness might’ve been considered a demo. March 2014 finds them having worked quickly on their first full-length outing, Long in the Tooth, which is out next week on Ripple Music, available now to preorder and based around 10 songs boasting similar heavy rock burl and dudely push, influences from Clutch, C.O.C., early Down and Alabama Thunderpussy showing up in various points filtered through songwriting of consistent quality and marked heft. If you’ve never had a riff stuck in your head for days on end, there’s probably a good deal about what Volume IV have to offer that will be either over (or under) your head, but among the whiskey ‘n’ Sabbath set, a cut like the ’70s motor-shuffling “Wager” is bound to feel just like home.

You might note a twin guitar lead in that one — because when you’re going to do Thin Lizzy, you do it right, goddammit — but Volume IV are indeed a three-piece, made up of guitarist/vocalist Joe Carpenter (ex-Nihilist, and not the Nihilist who became Entombed, but a different Nihilist), bassist Blake Parris and drummer Troy King. They deal volume with gusto enough to crash lesser media players on swaggering jams like “Blackwater” and opener “Looking Low for a High,” but in partially acoustic pieces like “Cabal” and “Save Your Prayers” — which together sandwich the formidable hook of “Awake the Dreamer” — Volume IV show there’s more to their approach than beardo ballsiness, organ on the country-fried “Save Your Servant” adding to the lost-soul overtones in Carpenter‘s delivery. “Save Your Servant” (5:05) and the hey-remember-the-self-titled-Clutch-record easy-rolling groove of “Blackwater” (6:21) are the two longest in Long in the Tooth, but otherwise share little in common, making a conveniently assembled example of the album’s sonic diversity within its bruiser sphere.

That is to say that while the bulk of Volume IV‘s stylistic take could easily ring familiar to heads who’ve been around Southern heavy for a minute, the band has more in mind than copping riffs from Deliverance, though with a lyrical Pulp Fiction reference in tow, “Kong” seems ready with precisely that brand of righteousness. In order to get a feel for the full LP, there’s nothing quite like a complete listen, so ahead of the official March 11 release, I’m happy to be able to host a front-to-back stream of Long in the Tooth for your listening pleasure. Find it on the player below, followed by some info on the limited edition vinyl version, which is awfully pretty:

[mp3player width=480 height=400 config=fmp_jw_widget_config.xml playlist=volume-iv-long-in-the-tooth.xml]

Less than 100 of these beauts were pressed! Multi-colored vinyl includes 11 x 17 poster, download card and Long In The Tooth CD!!!

With equal parts elegant beauty and steamrolling aggression, Atlanta’s Volume IV serve up a piece of ear candy for the ages with Long In The Tooth. This first release with Ripple Music is a concise thirty-six minute thrill ride of swampy metal heroics, featuring heavy grooves, classic stoner riffs, and an overall impending sense of doom. Led by singer/guitarist Joe Carpenter (Nihilist) and filled out by bassist Blake Parris and drummer Troy King, Volume IV is set to stun the music world with one of the most anticipated releases of the year!

Volume IV on Thee Facebooks

Volume IV’s website

Ripple Music

Tags: Atlanta, Georgia, Long in the Tooth, Ripple Music, Volume IV, Volume IV Long in the Tooth

This entry was posted on Friday, March 7th, 2014 at 12:42 pm and is filed under audiObelisk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.