Some reviews for "El Sombrero!"
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From Vintage Guitar Magazine:
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They're perfecting a beastly new Southern Rock strain down in Texas these days. Bands such as Dixie Witch, Blood of the Sun, and Amplified Heat are tempering their metallic onslaught with classic rock and blues, for a big, bold, brash approach - exactly what you'd expect from that country. er, state. And Hognose might just be the best of the bunch.
On El Sombrero, the band's second CD, the foursome gear-jams its way through eight songs of fresh Texas whup-ass. Think late-'70's ZZ Top crossed with late '70's Judas Priest. (Or maybe Corrosion of Conformity on a boogie-rock bender. Dual guitar driven, this scruffy foursome comes roaring out of the box on the first four tracks here, all excellent headbanging chunks of sharp-turn-at-60-mph goodness. Track 2, "Local Honey" is a particular winner, and quite possibly the best heading-out-to -the-highway driving song released this year. Another high point is "Muffin," a slow building instrumental peppered with nice wah-wah riffs soaked with delay. And definitely do not miss the hidden track - an aggressive, slightly uptempo take on Pink Floyd's classic "Breathe."
Powered by vintage Oranges, Sunns, Marshalls, and Gibsons, Hognose sounds tight enough to bounce a quarter off (if not a silver dollar!). And with its spot-on production and overall great sound, El Sombrero is unequivocally one more reason you don't mess with Texas.
-Ken Johnson
Review by John Pegoraro (StonerRock.com)
There's nothing like it when a good band gets better and avoids the "sophomore slump." It's proof that the debut wasn't a fluke, and all the things you dug about the first album are reinforced, stronger than ever.
That's the case with Hognose's ¡El Sombrero!. Their first album, Long Handle, was full throttled Texas dirt rock, highlighted by "Get Your Hands Off My Neck." The rest of the album was solid, but nothing really matched up to that track. On ¡El Sombrero!, you can take your pick of great songs. You’ve got the foot stomping drive of “Weed Billy” and “The First Song,” the Sabbath-inspired crunch of “Hunting Rake,” or the good ol’ boy rock of “Meadowlark.” All of those have the Hognose sound – a strong combination of riffs and hooks, all drenched in Texas boogie. Additionally, the band stretches out with “Muffin,” an instrumental that incorporates a good amount of melody to their usual distorted overdrive. It reminds me stylistically of the Suplecs’ “Cities of the Dead” - it’s a song that’s just plain purty.
Throw in a couple more solid tunes and end with a faithful rendition of Pink Floyd’s “Breathe” (save for the usual gruff vocals), and you’ve got the makings of a killer rock album. Hognose are getting better and better, and ¡El Sombrero! is the proof.
