BIGELF

The band's influences are blindingly obvious, not only in the music, but also the lyrical themes. However, they are not totally derivative with plenty of intricate synthwork mixed in with those dirty guitars. For the longest time 'Cheat the Gallows' was my favourite Bigelf album, but more recently I am starting to prefer 'Hex'. Whilst none of the tracks are as good as the likes of Hydra, just about all of the tracks are better than (the rest of) the second half of 'Cheat the Gallows'.

The main attraction with 'Hex' is that it is consistently consistent, I can listen to it from start to finish and enjoy every minute. For this reason I find it hard to pick stand-out tracks and my favourites fluctuate with every listen, but at the moment they include Madhatter, Rock & Roll Contract and Carry the Load.

The Verdict: An excellent addition to any hard rock music collection

Bigelf are an interesting group of musicians. A quartet dedicated to resurrecting retro blues- rock with an intense abuse of the Hammond organ and growling guitar riffs, the band is able to craft a rather interesting brand of music. Cheating the Gallows, the band's third studio album, shows no shortage of this bombastic brand of heavy prog. Although the prog of the music is comprised of little more than the Hammond and Mellotron riffs, overall the band crafts an interesting album, with multiple moments of lighthearted playing of four guys who are having a good time. Despite the fact that much of the album seems to borrow quite a bit from their 70s influences, such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and King Crimson, they are still able to present an overall good album for us to listen to.

With much of the band's music a high tribute to the 70s greats, some of it can come off as a cheesy amalgam of 70s riffs, atmospheres, and themes. Of course this is not bad, but the overall lack of originality the band displays on much of the album harms the overall performance of the band. Songs like The Gravest Show on Earth, Money, It's Pure Evil, Superstar, and The Evils of Rock & Roll show how these guys have an obvious affection for their yesteryear influences, with similar rocking riffs, bluesy use of the Hammond to accent the riffs, and that certain atmosphere that many 70s hard rock bands conjured up in their classic recordings. Now the band's tribute to these greats is obviously not bad, with many great moments within the music showing that the band is not just your everyday cover band. The music in the end is good, albeit a little dry.

Cheating the Gallows certainly covers a bit of ground, with its near-hour length paying a nice tribute to many bands, from Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin to King Crimson and Pink Floyd. The majority of the creative concepts found on the album are a direct result of the band's amalgamation of their numerous influences into a single display of rather interesting heavy progressive rock. Obviously these tracks aren't bad, with some great spices of inventiveness found in some of the mellow melodic breakdowns and jazzy dynamics peppered throughout the album. Overall, the album isn't spectacular. However, the album is certainly not bad in any way. The band is able to craft a nice tribute, with their own (slightly influence-reliant) musical stamp across the music as well. The slightly dissonant quality of Damon Fox's voice mixed with the cinematic quality of the riffs and growling Hammond organ plodding make for an interesting sound. In the end, despite some obvious reliance upon their influences, the band has crafted an overall good album. 3+ stars.

After a five year gap Bigelf return on a new record label, but their signature style remains intact.

The Good: If Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, and The Beatles got together and produced a musical lovechild it would sound something like this. The album opener promises The Greatest Show on Earth and by the end of the first four tracks you would be forgiven for believing it. Don't expect virtuoso musicianship but the songwriting is proficient, and its product addictive.

The Bad: It's hard to believe that after such a promising start this release could plummet into an abyss of pure unadulterated filler for (almost) the rest of its duration. Whilst Superstar, The Game and Race With Time are merely sub-par, No Parachute is actually dire and through a combination of science and scissors has now been scratched from the face of the earth (CD). The albums closes with Counting Sheep, a mini rock opera of sorts which starts off amusingly enough, but quickly loses its charm by dragging on forever and a day. However, despite this latter drop in class there is still a beacon of hope in the form of Hydra which, in contrast to its back end brethren, is my absolute favourite of the whole album.

The Verdict: Some banging tunes to be found but also bring a body bag.

BIGELF present here an interesting mix of heavy edge riffs (Black Sabbath, Atomic Rooster), hammond/keys-filled psychedelic passages (Hawkwind, Uriah Heep, Deep Purple) and a lighter prog-pop side (Beatles). The vocalist Damon Fox displays a wide range of influences and singing styles that give flexibility and variety to the final result. The use of mellotron, hammond and keyboard sounds revive the late 60's feeling which is dominant in BIGELF's sound.

The opening title track more or less sets the stage for the style expected in the rest of the album: mid-tempo composition, supported by heavy prog riffs (especially reminding of Uriah Heep in this case) and a continuous keyboard background ''rocking'' along with the main riff. The (longest in the album) track succeeds in catching your attention with the slightly dark interim guitar riffs (a-la Atomic Rooster), while the ''distorted'' theatrical vocals fit perfectly. The same recipe is used for tracks like Neuropsychopathic Eye, which adds more complicated riffs and speedier psychedelic prog passages in the vein of Hawkwind. This heavy side is also reflected in Ironheel, showing a mix of Sabbath-derived riffs on a berzerk psychedelic atmosphere. Atomic Rooster's cover of the legendary Death Walks Behind You is exactly on the same pattern and well executed by the band.

Mindbender is an excellent example of how to fit a catchy psychedelic rock piece of music in just 2 minutes. The ''other'' - lighter or poppier - side of the album is represented with the rest 4 compositions. Although not as enjoyable as the heavy aspect of the album, the lyricism of Sellout and mostly The Bitter End shows the diversity in the band's sound, producing attractive melodies. Side Effects and (Another) Nervous Breakdown are the least appealing tracks in my opinion, directly influenced by The Who and especially The Beatles. The light-hearted feel, although giving a more relaxed atmosphere between heavier tracks, fails to keep my interest at the same level.

In summary, the first full-length album from BIGELF is a highly entertaining experience and would definitely appeal to retro-prog fans that prefer heavy-edge riffs of the Sabbath/Rooster/Heep school. Although not very original in ideas, the blend of psychedelia and heavy prog is at least interesting and promising for future releases. 3.5 stars deserved.

Actually I'm still somewhat confused about the origin of this material since according to the album's credit notes two of these song were co-written by Richard Anton who was one of the band's early members and left before the release of Money Machine. Then there is a question of Gravest Show On Earth and The Evils Of Rock & Roll which are credited to Damon Fox and Bigelf's other founding member A.H.M. Butler-Jones who left the band in 2002. This is unfortunately also Butler-Jones' final credit since he passed away last new year's eve due to complications with pneumonia.

Finally the song Money, It's Pure Evil was previously heard as a bonus track on Bigelf's previous album Hex where it was entitled simply $. This sums up to a total of five out of ten tracks that in one way or another have already been in development before the recording sessions of Cheat The Gallows.

Still this is a second studio album by the same line-up which is actually a record considering all the changes that the band has undergone over the years with only Damon Fox as the only remaining member left from the original line-up. I personally consider this release to be a definite improvement over Hex and although it still suffers from the issue of trying to appeal to a wider audience most of these compositions work a whole lot better for me. First of all I really like the whole intro and outro idea which makes me think a bit about Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band but it's not all done just for the sake of a tribute since there is enough originality to keep it all sound fresh and existing to my ears. It's true that the band does tend to sound a bit too much like a cover band towards the album's middle section but that doesn't ruin the overall flow for me.

I was delighted to see the band perform as one of the supporting acts at Progressive Nation 2009. They were originally billed alongside Opeth and Unexpect on the European leg of the tour, but after Pain of Salvation and Beardfish dropped out, due to the bankruptcy of their record label's distributor, Bigelf filled in as one of the replacements during the U.S. tour as well. From what I've heard the band has now also continued to perform at the South America leg of the tour which will definitely get them the biggest exposure to date!

When I saw the show here in Stockholm, Sweden Bigelf announced that they would come out to the stands after their show to chat and sign albums. I had a chance to briefly chat with all of the members and they were even nice enough to sign my copy of the album. That whole experience replays in my head every time I listen to Cheat The Gallows so for me it's one of those must have albums in my collection. As for everyone who have never heard this album I still think that it would be an excellent addition to any prog rock music collection especially if you're one of the retro 70's fans!

***** star songs: Gravest Show On Earth (5:00) Blackball (7:02) Counting Sheep (11:20)

**** star songs: Money, It's Pure Evil (3:18) The Evils Of Rock & Roll (6:37) No Parachute (3:43) The Game (5:11) Race With Time (4:28) Hydra (6:23)

*** star songs: Superstar (3:46)

The new addition to the band comes in a for of Ace Mark on guitar which now makes this band of semi-Finnish descent! Considering that Bigelf have spent quite a few years recording and touring Sweden they have definitely spawned roots here in Scandinavia so I'm not really sure that the whole California band-tag is really applicable anymore.

Hex begins with probably the most well recognized composition in the band's repertoire entitled Madhatter. The song has so far been performed at every Bigelf show that I've attended and it's also notable for Damon Fox disguise since he usually wears a tall hat when the band performs the composition. Being a huge fan of Gabriel eras-Genesis I really appreciate this nice touch because it definitely touches upon the whole '70s art rock phenomenon that is so close to my heart.

It's great when a band records a lot of material but at the same time it becomes a bit of a problem here since Hex is far from a linear album in its design. I love almost all of these compositions although there are a few straightforward rock tunes that I could have done without, but that's a natural consequence of trying to appeal to a wider audience. The album does have two quite interesting ideas working for it where the first one consists of the Bats In The Bulfry song trilogy. The first two parts are featured on this album while part III is available on The Madhatter EP which was released just before this studio album. The fact that part II comes before part I actually makes this whole concept a reverse such and it confused the fans who bought the EP only to find out a song titled Bats In The Bulfry III on it. If anything, at least it's a brilliant market scheme that definitely appealed to collectors like me.

The album ends on a short bonus track entitled $ which is preceded by a short silent track. Everyone who has heard the band's latest studio offering will probably recognize this track as an early take of Money, It's Pure Evil which is also the first single from Cheat The Gallows. This is actually a very interesting addition to the album especially considering that the band took a brief hiatus before releasing their follow-up album.

***** star songs: Bats In The Bulfry I (7:43)

**** star songs: Madhatter (4:18) Bats In The Belfry II (3:30) Pain Killers (3:20) Disappear (6:33) Falling Bombs (4:58) Black Moth (6:06) Carry The Load (5:37) Burning Bridges (6:51) $ (2:08)

*** star songs: Rock & Roll Contract (5:30) Sunshine Suicide (4:16)

This EP is also known for having a track called Bats In The Belfry III on it. Luckily the answer to this title mystery came with the release of Hex which featured Bats In The Belfry I & II on it. I guess that it's the first song trilogy that has to be heard in a reverse order. This was at least how I got to hear them since I've heard this EP before the studio album which features the first two parts in a reversed order on it. A weird but definitely well executed plan indeed!

I'm very regretful for no longer owning The Madhatter EP in my collection since it has become a real collectors item and the only copy that I've seen available on Amazon is priced at $90! I can tell you with all certainty that won't pay that much money for it and I don't recommend anyone else doing it either. Good, but non-essential rating is definitely appropriate here.

**** star songs: Madhatter (4:18) Brown-Eyed Girl (3:35) Bats In The Belfry III (4:04)

*** star songs: Why? (3:40)

This EP was released as a promotional recording which featured two tracks straight off Money Machine and, from what I can tell, there isn't any difference between these track versions and their studio album counterparts.

The studio material is followed by four live tracks that were recorded in my hometown of Stockholm, Sweden back in December 2000. Unfortunately I knew nothing about the band at that particular point in time so needless to say I wasn't attending the show. Incidentally, Södra Teatern is actually one of my least favorite venues due to the sound quality that the theater hall resonates and this recording definitely suffers from that problem.

Another problem on the live tracks is Damon Fox's vocal performance which first sounds unworthy of the live performances that I've seen him do over the years. Fortunately this issue gets resolved halfway through the performance and the cover of Black Sabbath's Sweet Leaf receives the treatment it truly deserves.

Overall Goatbridge Palace is considered somewhat of a relic since the EP has been out-of-print for quite some time and I was fortunate enough to find a copy of it in one of the downtown used record stores. Let's just say that the EP was sold at a very affordable price so I basically couldn't resist the temptation! If anything this recording marked the transitional period in the band's line-up where Andrew H.M. Butler-Jones was still aboard while it also featured the newly recruited Duffy Snowhill on bass.

I'd say that this EP is good, but non-essential and I even doubt that anyone will be able to find a copy since Goatbridge Palace isn't available on either Amazon or eBay.

***** star songs: Side Effects (3:12)

**** star songs: (Another) Nervous Breakdown (3:22) Neuropsychopathic Eye (live) (4:20) Sweet Leaf (live) (6:03)

*** star songs: Sellout (live) (5:19) Money Machine (live) (8:23)

At the time, ZTV was sort of a continuation of ideas set by MTV during the '80s where the channel broadcasted shows that were aimed towards a younger audience in the age group span of 15 to 25. I happened to be 16 at the time so their programs were on top of my list when it came to television. Of course most of the programs had non-existent productions values and relied heavily on the show hosts to make the best of the situation, but that was part of the charm.

With this setting in mind came the Hultsfredsfestival summer, which due to my age I couldn't attend so I relied entirely on ZTV to fill me in on the events of the festival. One of the smaller acts that caught my attention was this obscure doom metal/stoner rock outfit called Bigelf that was interviewed during one of the broadcasts and they definitely managed to make an impression on me! The band played retro rock styled music using equipment from the '70s which tweaked their sound to a carbon copy of the music I loved so much. The first song that the band performed was called Money Machine and it totally blew me away in terms of songwriting, performance and most of all the sound. I was hooked from the get-go! I remember racing to the record store, the next day, only to find out that Bigelf's material was nowhere to be found. Ahhh, the disappointment I felt at the time! Eventually I've got my hands on a copy of Money Machine a few days later and spinned that album like crazy for the rest of that summer and all the way towards the middle of autumn.

The first composition is Money Machine and it basically hits you with its wall of sound in the introduction section. I would definitely recommend this 7 minute composition to everyone who is remotely interested in '70s rock music. The nods towards progressive rock are of course unavoidable when it comes to '70s styled compositions and there are quite a few excellent passages here and there that would even make the most critical listeners feel pleased. Most noticeable for me is the ending of the title track which borrows heavily from the '70s King Crimson especially the second part of Starless but also Cirkus and probably a few others.

This by no means implies that Bigelf is another copy & paste band because their sound is actually very original and it's easy to recognize a song of theirs when you hear one. Most of the other compositions on the album like Sellout and Ironheel keep the high quality and being a fan of great melodies I just love the performance of Side Effects.

The only track that I've always considered inferior in this mix is Death Walks Behind You. I never understood the reason for my disliking of this particular song until I found out that it actually was a cover of Atomic Rooster's track off the song-titled album. It always felt as though Bigelf was limiting themselves on this cover by leaving most of their innovative sound twitching and bending skills in favor of a fairly straightforward representation of this cover.

Money Machine is a great album with a nostalgic twist to it!

***** star songs: Money Machine (7:13) Side Effects (3:11)

**** star songs: Sellout (5:02) Neuropsychopathic Eye (4:20) (Another) Nervous Breakdown (3:22) Mindbender (2:00) Ironheel (5:32) The Bitter End (5:19)

*** star songs: Death Walks Behind You (4:32)