Hank III And Assjack

Hank Williams III plays a bizarro hybrid of country, metal, and rockabilly, which he refers to as “100 Percent Pure Hellbilly.” It’s a schizoid mix of his grandpa’s dusky honky-tonk and formulaic hardcore shout-outs about getting ripped up and fixin’ to wrassle—a pugnacious sound that got an extra dose of brutality on 2009’s Assjack, which featured Williams fronting the L.A. metal band of the same name. The album hearkened back to his own roots in punk, with jackhammer tempos and industrial riffs pushing songs like “Cut Throat” and “Cocaine The White Devil” even further over the top. This year, Williams released Rebel Within, a more straightforward country album that better falls in line with his estimable lineage.

Updated 10/04/2010