It’s very rare that I’ll buy an album that isn’t in the metal genre. So Flogging Molly must be some sort of gods considering that they’re albums are practically an automatic “BUY” whenever they release one.
For those not in the know, Flogging Molly sounds like the Ramones getting in a car accident with an Irish pennywhistle band. So you’ve got fiddles clashing with a Les Paul, bass clanging into banjos and the like. It’s very fast-paced music, for the most part, and upbeat. When it slows down, it swings into a sweetly melancholic realm.
So what makes this heavy metal savage love Flogging Molly?
First and foremost, it’s all genuine emotion that’s still skillfully arranged and executed. No, there are no sweep arpeggios or double-bass drums, no mind-frying guitars solos. But the musicians just sound good, like they’re playing exactly what they need to play at that moment. The vocals are understandable, which is great because most of the lyrics are also wonderful pieces of storytelling.
Which brings me to the second point: There is a terrific regional quality to Flogging Molly that I’d love to replicate in Hung Dynasty. You need not know anything about the band, and from the first few bars you’ll be like “yep, they’re Irish” (or at least the singer/songwriter/bandleader is). You can practically hear an audible “Jayzus Chroist, Ah’m fecking flewtered again” in every tune. I guess maybe it’s easier to convey a sense of Ireland than it is Arizona, but I’ll keep striving to attain that goal.
Now, I’ve gotta find me some Guinness.
