NOLA Review
October 16, 2022
Coming off of the cowboy trailblazers of Groove Metal, Phil forms a supergroup and establishes another new genre: Southern Metal. While not the first album in this style, NOLA definitely solidified the genre, which already took immense influence from Pantera’s Texan foundation.
This album has a much more traditional sound than what Pantera were doing at the time, with Stoner groove and Heavy Metal riffs, and a bit of Sludge in the tones and themes. All of these traits would become common in the genre.
The problem with this album for me (like with almost any Stoner album) is that it doesn’t really have any mood, it’s just riffs and grooves for the sake of it. The lyrical themes are quite dark, but the fun jamming sound of the album just take their power away. The music is proficient and a few of the riffs are catchy enough, and Phil sounds great, but the album doesn’t evoke anything more than that. The best riffs like those found at the beginning of tracks “Hail the Leaf” and “Losing All” are mitigated by chuggy, boring midsections that add nothing to the songs.
This album has a much more traditional sound than what Pantera were doing at the time, with Stoner groove and Heavy Metal riffs, and a bit of Sludge in the tones and themes. All of these traits would become common in the genre.
The problem with this album for me (like with almost any Stoner album) is that it doesn’t really have any mood, it’s just riffs and grooves for the sake of it. The lyrical themes are quite dark, but the fun jamming sound of the album just take their power away. The music is proficient and a few of the riffs are catchy enough, and Phil sounds great, but the album doesn’t evoke anything more than that. The best riffs like those found at the beginning of tracks “Hail the Leaf” and “Losing All” are mitigated by chuggy, boring midsections that add nothing to the songs.
Track listing (Songs)
| title | rating | votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Temptation's Wings | 4:24 | 93.8 | 4 |
| 2. | Lifer | 4:39 | 88.8 | 4 |
| 3. | Pillars of Eternity | 3:56 | 83.3 | 3 |
| 4. | Rehab | 4:03 | 86.7 | 3 |
| 5. | Hail the Leaf | 3:28 | 81.7 | 3 |
| 6. | Underneath Everything | 4:46 | 83.3 | 3 |
| 7. | Eyes of the South | 5:14 | 86.7 | 3 |
| 8. | Jail | 5:18 | 87.5 | 4 |
| 9. | Losing All | 4:21 | 90 | 3 |
| 10. | Stone the Crow | 4:43 | 91.7 | 3 |
| 11. | Pray For the Locust | 1:08 | 81.7 | 3 |
| 12. | Swan Song | 3:35 | 85 | 3 |
| 13. | Bury Me In Smoke | 7:04 | 90 | 4 |
Line-up (members)
- Philip Anselmo : Vocals
- Pepper Keenan : Guitar
- Kirk Windstein : Guitar
- Todd Strange : Bass
- Jimmy Bower : Drums
23 reviews
| cover art | Artist | Album review | Reviewer | Rating | Date | Likes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  | System of a Down Review (1998) | 60 | Jan 26, 2024 | 0 | ||
 | | ▶ NOLA Review (1995) | 60 | Oct 16, 2022 | 0 | ||
 | | Protect the Land / Genocidal Humanoidz Review (2020) [Single] | 60 | Apr 17, 2021 | 1 | ||
| | System of a Down Review (1998) | 95 | Apr 26, 2020 | 4 | ||
 | | Umbras de Barbagia Review (2015) | 95 | Apr 10, 2018 | 0 | ||
 | | 80 | Sep 3, 2017 | 2 | |||
| | Umbras de Barbagia Review (2015) | 90 | Aug 16, 2017 | 0 | ||
 | | 一切唯心 Review (2010) [EP] | 80 | Aug 12, 2017 | 2 | ||
 | | Karma Review (2008) [EP] | 85 | Aug 12, 2017 | 1 | ||
 | | Demo 09 Review (2009) [Demo] | 100 | Jun 6, 2017 | 2 | ||
 | | Beyond Salvation Review (2006) | 90 | Apr 3, 2017 | 1 | ||
 | | ALL or NOTHING Review (2014) [EP] | 80 | Jun 4, 2015 | 0 | ||
 | | LiVERTY Review (2013) | 80 | May 27, 2015 | 0 | ||
 | | BRAIN WASHING Review (2013) [EP] | 85 | May 24, 2015 | 0 | ||
 | | At the End of Death Review (2006) | 80 | Jul 22, 2014 | 0 | ||
 | | World Domination Review (2005) | 75 | Feb 3, 2014 | 0 | ||
| | 85 | Dec 4, 2013 | 1 | |||
 | | Dreamcrusher Review (2007) | 90 | Sep 12, 2013 | 0 | ||
| | 86 | May 26, 2011 | 0 | |||
 | | Violence For Violence Review (2007) | 90 | May 26, 2011 | 4 |
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James Joyce 78/100Jul 28, 2010 Likes : 1
아직 국내에서 Sludge / Stoner Metal에 대한 관심은 상대적으로 약한 편에 속하는 것 같다고 나는 자신있게 말할 수 있다. 그리고 난 그런 주장을 뒷받침할 증거로 이 밴드에 대한 무관심을 제시한다. 분명 이 밴드의 멤버 중에서 몇명의 이름은 많은 사람들의 눈에 익을 것이다. 심지어 몇명의 ... Read More
