By DJ Monk
When it comes to the history of good ol’ suvern rock ‘n’ roll, there are a number of bands who have flown the Southern Cross, some with pride, some with an arrogance that can be viewed as insulting to those who do not necessarily adhere to the outdated beliefs the pole carriers expound. The likes of the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd broke ground in their own rights, the former through the sheer quality of their musicianship, the latter through their sheer no prisoners taken, never say die attitude… and then you have bands like Molly Hatchet…
To be brutally honest, there’s always been something about Molly Hatchet that has grated with me. Yes, they produced some incredible southern rock albums in the shape of ‘Flirtin’ With Disaster’, ‘Beatin’ The Odds’, ‘Take No Prisoners’ etc, but it always sounded like they were hanging on the coattails of the Allman and Van Zant boys – and you know that you can’t get away from stealin’ from your neighbours’ yard, don’t ya son? Another thing that has always grated with me is how they ram their faux “patriotism” down everyone’s throats: yes, you have to admire their unapologetic attitude, but you don’t have to agree with it… and I don’t – especially when they display their ignorance of anything outside their little sphere when they played a festival in north Wales and then say “thank you England”…
There is another factor which, in this particular case, personally grinds with me: and that is the fact this album is recorded with new vocalist Jimmy Elkins, who only joined the band following the untimely death this past April of Phil McCormack, who had fronted the band for 24 years. For a band that, despite their protestations otherwise, do not feature any of their founder members in their current incarnation, it’s a major slap in the face to those who flew that Cross so proudly for so many years. Maybe they should have looked at pulling together some earlier recordings that would have reflected the spirit of what they were trying to achieve?
Having said that, ‘Battleground’ is designed to serve as a summation of MH’s 40+ year career, capturing as it does a “best of” or “fan favourites” collection of the highlights of their four decades. And, in that ambition, it fulfils itself. Cynicism aside, it is a good live album, and doesn’t sound like there has been too much post-performance studio twiddling applied to the final result. Oh, and it’s beautifully packaged, which, for purists, makes buying the physical copy worth the price of admission.
- ‘Battleground’ is released on 29 November. You can get your copy HERE.
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