Lurking in the urban wilds of Portland, Oregon, the roar of the musical beast that is Red Fang has been captured by Relapse Records on their second album, Murder The Mountains, spreading fear and joy to listeners everywhere.  Red Fang are another of a new breed of musical animal, playing a melodic but very heavy rock that borders on but is not quite metal — yet at the same time captures the essence of metal in its purest form.

The epic opening riffs of “Malverde” immediately catch your attention, making you want to tune in and hear more.  Every song that follows is filled with hook-laden riffs, guitar wankery galore, and sung/shouted vocals that come together in delicious little bits ranging from just under three minutes to over six minutes.

Choosing favorites is almost impossible on an album so full of musical gold — every track on this album is great and worth listening to repeatedly.  The few that encapsulate everything I love about this band are the tracks “Wires,” “Throw Up,” “Painted Parade,” and “Number Thirteen.”  These tracks are heavy, driving, relentless rock n’ roll at its best, and the songs I would be most stoked to see the band play live.  The space rock-y grooves of “The Undertow” get a special mention here as well.

Murder The Mountains is by far one of my favorite new albums of 2011, and fans of heavy rock and metal everywhere need to give it a listen.  I can’t recommend it enough.

(Relapse Records, PO Box 2060, Upper Darby, PA 19082)