Backwoods Payback have eyes of the South and an ear for madness. Their newest 7”/CD EP, Use Magic to Kill Death (Creep Records), follows a self-titled full-length released in 2007, and as a sampler of what the last couple years have done to the West Chester, PA, four-piece, it shows marked growth in the songwriting and melody departments that the band offsets with loads and loads of rebel groove. In about 10 minutes.

It’s a cliché to say my only complaint is the runtime, especially bearing in mind what I bought on CD is also a 7”, but in truth, I could do with one or two more tracks on Use Magic to Kill Death, its retro-style cover only giving up a fraction of what Backwoods Payback are getting down to these days. Sure, ‘70s rock blah blah blah, but Backwoods Payback take that sensation that at any moment the whole thing might fall apart that made Beaten Back to Pure such a great listen and blend it with Alabama Thunderpussy’s melodic side, with the guitars of Rylan Caspar and Mike Cummings working in tandem or separately to bring that out while Cummings’ voice – which has also seen considerable development and maturity in its approach – recounts tales of woe and rock redemption à la Seemless on closer “Pat the Bat.”

Use Magic to Kill Death feels live without being sloppy. Opener “Blur the Seasons” is both druggy and rural, without being given over entirely to the tropes of either as they appear in modern stoner rock. That is, it feels genuine, even unto the rhythm section of Jessica Baker (bass) and Mark Hanna, left when Caspar and Cummings go into a bridge to keep the song grounded, only to meet up later for the chorus. Hanna’s snare drum sounds deep as a floor tom, but natural and not sampled (whether in fact it is or not, I don’t know, but would guess not). Cummings’ vocals are the highlight of “Day to Day,” which is ironic since the song has about six lines, but they come delivered in rock sub-harmony with multiple layers and a chorus feel that’s not only completely different from both “Blue the Seasons” and “Pat the Bat,” but also from much of what I’ve heard US stoner bands try in general except in their most experimental moments. Backwoods Payback work it into a relatively straightforward song and it sounds gorgeous. There is character and personality in Cummings’ singing, which “Blur the Seasons” seems too busy rocking out to show and “Pat the Bat” confirms isn’t a fluke.

Even with Caspar and Cummings both on guitar, there isn’t much in the way of blazing leads to be found on these three tracks. A solo comes in on “Pat the Bat,” but it’s a guest appearance by Patrick Shannon and sung over at that, and beyond that, the two guitars that show up on Use Magic to Kill Death seem to be mainly for the purpose of offsetting each other tonally and thickening the song (though with Baker’s bass, that’s not really an issue). In any case, what they’re doing sounds good for these three songs. Backwoods Payback have hit the point in their career where they exude enough confidence in their playing to give the impression that everything they do is on purpose, but in no way is Use Magic to Kill Death self-indulgent, even on “Day to Day,” and all it asks of anyone who approaches it is a fair shake in listening. Given that, the EP will most likely please even the most discerning heads who dig on American heavy Southern and/or stoner rock. It still feels like Backwoods Payback are in the process of progressing, but as a stop along the road, Use Magic to Kill Death is definitely worth getting out of the car to have a look at.

Backwoods Payback on MySpace

Creep Records

Tags: Backwoods Payback, Creep, Pennsylvania, West Chester

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 at 10:11 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.