Souls Of We - Let The Truth Be Known (2008)

Also known as George Lynch's Souls Of We, this four piece are the brainchild of ex-Dokken fret-master George Lynch, and fronted by ex Brides Of Destruction warbler London LeGrande, and what a corker of a record it is. One could imagine this drifting through the air waves in 1992, as it has that type of alternative vibe but it also packs a punch, mainly due to Lynch's rather surprising doom-laden and grunge infested guitars. Admittedly, LeGrande has never had the strongest set of pipes but his rasp someone slots in amongst those swampy guitars, making Souls Of We a pretty infectious debut that weaves a dark path through sweaty bayous and gnat-infested swamps. I was shocked at how instant this record is, and whilst I thought initially that fourteen cuts would be way too long, I became absorbed by the voodoo vibes and startled by how catchy and clever it all is, especially as Lynch's twiddlings do their own thing amid the murky backwater blues. This somehow evokes the likes of Alice In Chains and a more swampy Mindfunk, but it's huge on the grooves and LeGrande is more than happy to provide the swagger - check out the venomous yet languid 'January' with its soaring chorus. At times it's as thick as quicksand but it continues to pull itself free with surprising choruses of infectious quality - 'St Jude' is mesmerising, and almost original as rock tracks go, but the sheer weight the band offer is the biggest and most pleasant surprise - Lynch drags the likes of 'Skeleton Key' and 'Sorry To Say' into Sabbath-esque caverns, but each time the band rescue themselves from the treacle by way of a cool hook or catchy chorus. I never thought I'd find Souls Are We so fascinating, and the well packaged cd, complete with candy skull artwork is a joy to the eye. Hats off to them, I just hope they get some success, because any band that can remain so heavy and yet so cool deserves another shot at glory. My guess is that Souls Of We will just fade away, but if you can grab this record then let yourself become immersed in the sludge because this is fragrant ooze!

8/10