The Ragadors

Plenty of ink has been spilt over the increasing loudness of modern records. Seeing these records represented as slab-like waveforms in digital sound-editing programs, it’s easy to believe that future albums couldn’t possibly get any louder. Credit goes to Milwaukee blues-rock quartet The Ragadors for at least giving it a shot. While it may not be wholly successful, the group’s 2010 debut LP Blackinkyswells is fucking loud. In fact, both the record and the group are at their best when they embrace that volume, and leave the tried-and-true blues formulas behind. Opener and album standout “Bottom Line Babe” finds Benjamin Hall’s blown-out vocals in fine form, buoyed by a satisfyingly dirty bass tone and wall-to-wall guitars. Drummer Joshua Harper’s distorted snare and hyper-sizzled cymbals shine throughout the disc’s 11 tracks, and give a needed punch to songs like “Ramblin’ On” and the sprawling closer, “Death Train.” 

Updated 05/25/2012