With WARRIOR SOUL comes another beloved all-time favorite band in 2012 that causes discomfort with its new record release.
On the first sight Stiff Middle Finger turns out to be an amazing old school WARRIOR SOUL album with a rude and dirty garage production, breathing a huge fuck you attitude out of every pore. It feels good, genuine and conjures memories of the good old times. Again charismatic but pissed off frontman Kory Clarke rants with his fucked up voice about injustice, corruption, abuse of big groups and companies and governments as well as Nazi shit. Stiff Middle Finger is pure energy and takes its title literally and flips the world off. Stiff Middle Finger is a record to listen to at maximum volume and to rock down and destroy everything.
On the second sight however, Kory Clarke noticeable digs in his back catalogue box and lets flow in everything WARRIOR SOUL stood for in the past and made them iconic. He not only poaches at old WARRIOR SOUL stuff but also at the Space Age Playboys and Mob Research.
The first four tracks of Stiff Middle Finger are a real burner and kick hellish ass, every song’s crushing. A Drink To All My Friends has a charming but pushy riff and is per se a great party song on and for fans but here I already miss some power. Right after follows an Industrial-tinged song called 2012. I like this style but this song does not fit at all into the album concept, stands totally out. I think I take it as homage to Mob Research and Paul Raven. There are generally new aspects to find on Stiff Middle Finger. There are unfamiliar keyboards in A Drink To All My Friends and an experimental drone sound in the semi acoustic Light Your Bonfires. This one is intensive. And I like it.
Second half of the album sounds different, as if the songs come from a completely different session. Besides, the backing vocals in Sparkle Baby and especially in Rubicon are totally off-key and disharmonious.
There are many up and downturns regarding the record level. Guitars are often too dominant, bass and singing go under. It is said that songs have been recorded at different places but Stiff Middle Finger sounds as if the final mix was missing. It all gives me the feeling of an overhasty demo production.
So, here I stand now, torn. I wish I nonchalantly could wipe away all inadequateness and just rock, but can’t help myself. One can downright hear that Stiff Middle Finger could have been greater.