Tennessee natives Sadville without a doubt could be the biggest misnomer for a group. These dudes don't play sad bastard emo at all. Instead they play stoner metal with elements of doom and hardcore punk. You can only imagine the relief when I heard the music after looking at their name.
Make Ready the Cross is seven tracks long, but it flies by when you put it on your record player. A mixture of southern rock and speeding metal riffs fuels the songs. Most of the songs come off as the unwanted child of Black Sabbath, High on Fire, and Born Against. Sure, this sound has been tackled before, but what they lack in originality they make up for in politically oriented lyrics and in witty song titles. The best are "Your Zao Sticker Won't get you into Heaven Anymore" and "George Walker Bush, Texas Ranger."
Sadville delivered an unexpected LP of tunes that I can rock out to. If you're seeking some metal music that'll get your foot tapping as well as your brain thinking, grab a copy of this release.
