CoC : Hair of the Dog - Rise : Review

Hair of the Dog - _Rise_
(Spitfire Records, 2000)
by: Aaron McKay (3 out of 10)

Sounding a lot like the new Alice Cooper record, I think both these groups could have given a touch more "metal" to the cause. Without getting into an Alice review here, I guess that I was nourished on material like _Raise Your Fist and Yell_ (Kane Roberts!) and the like. I think that I've always believed that Mr. Cooper was ahead of his time, but this last release, _Brutal Planet_, with a few notable exceptions on the album, isn't worth hollering about -- let alone putting my fist in the air and screaming. So anyway, I mention the Alice due to both groups belonging to the Spitfire label, along with Testament and Black Label Society. Those last two bands being favorites; Hair of the Dog obviously not being all that close to my heart. HotD camouflage themselves as devotees of Kiss, Van Halen, AC/DC and, to some degree, Eric Clapton. What I hear when listening to _Rise_ is something that puts me in mind of what I used to listen to in clubs near the concert venue awaiting bands like Dark Angel and King Diamond. Fluff. I hear a lot of puffed-up metal when I spin this newest Hair of the Dog effort. How this band ended up opening some dates in the mid-West for Motorhead and Nashville Pussy toward the middle of July, I'll never know. I'll give _Rise_ this, it is smooth as a shot of Absolute! Very clean and professionally done. So well done, in fact, that my girlfriend has frequently requested I give _Rise_ a spin after my 12th time through Venom's _Resurrection_. Also, the group has an extremely impressive website. If you crave unabashed musical whipped cream or your desire to impress your significant other overrides what I know to be your better judgement, then Hair of the Dog's _Rise_ might be for you. Otherwise, vaccinate yourself against the rabies these guys are surely spreading.

Contact: http://www.hofd.com

(article published 12/8/2000)