The artist: (The Lord Weird) Slough Feg are one of the most well known bands from the American traditional metal scene. Mike Scalzi originally formed this band in 1990 to counteract the hair metal scene at the time and bring back the traditional heavy metal sound that was heard in Iron Maiden and Judas Priest's music. Although they didn't release a full-length album until 1996 with the self-titled debut album, Slough Feg have put out nine albums and none of them are short of greatness. Like Manilla Road, these guys are also criminally overlooked but the better availability of the newest album The Animal Spirits as well as a lot of press for it have given Slough Feg some credibility they deserve. Asides from The Animal Spirits, their albums are often more expensive than an average album but it's definitely worth paying extra for fantasic albums, especially Traveller and Down Among the Deadmen.
The album: Down Among the Deadmen is one of the more notable Slough Feg albums considering Warriors Dawn which was featured on Brutal Legend. This might sound like a stretch but Warriors Dawn could be heavy metal's ultimate answer to Bohemian Rhapsody. This song provides a two minute intro, excellent drumming and bass performance, several great sections in a single song as well as a solo frenzy. Even if Warriors Dawn isn't considered at all for Down Among the Deadmen, it is still a fantastic album, especially when the moment you hear the album opener Sky Chariots it's mandatory to listen to the rest of the album. That's not all, though as there's an excellent trilogy with Heavy Metal Monk / Fergus Mac Roich / Cauldron of Blood. This is easily a highlight in Down Among the Deadmen as the three tracks go together so well. With tracks like these as well as Troll Pack, Marauder and Death Machine, there's tons of confidence to put this album in the same ranks as metal classics such as Paranoid, Powerslave and Painkiller.
The song: Death Machine is the closer track for Down Among with the Deadmen and what better way to end this magnificent album than to go out with a bang with a speed metal number? This works in a similar way to some of the thrash metal closers such as Overkill's The Years of Decay with E.Vil N.Ever D.Ies. The speed metal frenzy doesn't start right away but the song goes wild as soon as you hear motorcycle noises. The riffs are highly ideal for the imaginary of racing on motorcycles as well as the crazy solo provided during the frenzy. The song returns to its former pace but it works to wrap it up for the album. The song's lyrics are based on the sci-fi B-movie named Deathsport taking place in the year 3000. This movie won't be familiar to many but the lyrics sure as hell have some lines that define heavy metal lyrics and makes it seem the movie is worth watching. Overall, Death Machine shows one of the greatest ways to end off a heavy metal album with a roaring speed metal track that should be defined as a metal classic.
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