Blackfinger – Blackfinger

1. I Am Jon
2. Yellowood
3. Why God
4. On Tuesday Morning
5. As Long As I’m With You
6. Here Comes The Rain
7. Keep Fallin Down
8. My Many Colored Days
9. For One More Day
10. All The Leaves Are Brown
11. Till Death Do Us Part
“The sound of this new band is intriguing. It bears only a fleeting resemblance to Trouble (Wagner’s “cover band” The Skull has that market cornered), but it also avoids the Beatle-esque psychedelia that I was expecting to hear. The mellower songs are still extremely dark, and the heavy tracks manage to avoid heavy metal orthodoxy somewhat. Wagner sounds just as worn down as he did on the last couple Trouble records, but in the context of , he actually makes it work. This is a morose, melancholy record, and Wagner’s current style is well suited to it.”
“Which is not to imply that can’t bring the heavy. The doomy, multi-sectioned “Yellowood” proves otherwise. The groove riff (with cowbell!) on “Here Comes The Rain” would fit right in on “Plastic Green Head”, while closer “Till Death Do Us Part” has a vague Run To The Light-era vibe. But the real standout is “All The Leaves Are Brown”, an up-tempo rocker that puts Wagner’s former band to shame, while simultaneously being its own thing. Guitarists Rico Bianchi and Doug Hakes do a fantastic job throughout, providing some bluesy solos and memorable riffs. The slow jams are still Wagner’s bread and butter though, and contains some great ones.”
“”For One More Day” might cut it a little close to Trouble’s classic “The Misery Shows”, but acquits itself with classy, subtle guitar work that Trouble never quite had the versatility to pull off. “On Tuesday Morning” is mellow and surprisingly upbeat, with the heavier choruses providing the necessary dynamics. On “As Long As I’m With You”, Wagner delivers some of the most intimate vocal work of his career, his trademark baritone backed by delicate piano and cello, and the results are positively haunting. Ben Smith’s upright bass playing also adds some depth to the acoustic tracks. Even though I’ve been listening to Eric Wagner’s music for two decades, I feel like we barely knew the guy until now. It’s almost as if he was playing a role in his old band, being something he wasn’t, and is the first time he’s let his guard down (well, besides the Lid record). The other members of are capable of exploring these new avenues with Wagner, while doing justice to his Troubled past as well.”
All That Is Heavy, Fisting that Andrew Guy
LP album
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