Hank 3 goes three for three on his new Hank 3 Records

Good morning again, everyone.  As I mentioned earlier this morning, I've got to head out early this morning.  So I wanted to make sure that I got in this review before I headed out for the day.  In today's brand new edition of Reel Reviews, we head back to the record store again.  Now many of you out there know the names Hank Williams, and Hank Williams, Jr.  But how many of you knew that there's another member of the WIlliams family?  It's Hank Williams III, or Hank 3 for short.  And folks, Hank 3 is not your dad's country by any means.  That aside, his music does a great job of bridging the old days of country to the modern era.  At the same time, Williams adds one heck of a dose of attitude and adrenaline to that old school sound.  It makes for one heck of a listen, every time you turn on one of his records.  And his three most recent releases are no different.  That's all in today's brand new edition of Reel Reviews.

Hank Williams is one of the most revered names in country music.  His son, Hank Williams, Jr. is just as respected, even despite his recent controversy with ESPN and Fox News Channel.  But what a lot of fans of Hank Williams senior and junior don't know, is that there's another member of the famed Williams clan.  His name?  Yes, it's also Hank.  Hank Williams III, to be exact.  But his fans simply call him Hank 3.  Hank 3 is anything but his famed dad or grandfather.  He's a country musician, and a metal musician.  Yes, you read right folks.  Hank 3 is not just a country musician, but a metal musician, too.  And his three most recent releases continue to shoot a much needed dose of adrenaline and attitude into both genres.

The first of his new releases on his independent label, Hank3 Records, were released together on September sixth of this year.  Those records--the double disc "Ghost to a Ghost/Guttertown", "Attention Deficit Domination", and "Cattle Callin'--take the sound that he's become known for, and turns it up yet another notch.  He's not only turned up his signature sound another notch, but he's also turned his sound in a different direction on his metal offerings.  "Attention Deficit Domination" goes in a different direction from his other metal offerings.  This time out, Williams opted more for a slower, heavier, down-tuned almost sludge/grunge mix.  Williams dedicated the album to the late Alice in Chains frontman Layne Staley.  Understanding that, the change in sound comes as less of a surprise.

Now for those who prefer his more up-tempo metal offerings, Hank 3 has that, too.  He offers it up in the form of the instrumental album, "Cattle Callin'"  One listen to this record makes one wonder if Williams struck up a friendship with fellow musical mad scientist, Devin Townsend in recent years.  When one imagines twenty-three tracks of instrumental metal backed up by a soundtrack of cattle auctioneering, one would think that there's no way such a record would succeed.  The reality, though, is that "Cattle Callin'" is quite the original album.  At first, it comes as a shock.  But over time, the cattle auctioneering begins to fade into the background, making way more for the music.  That is to say that while the auctioneering is still at the same levels throughout the record, it becomes less obvious the longer a person listens to the album. It's the kind of opus that will really show who his real fans are and those who just claim to be fans.

Now, for those who are more fans of Hank 3's country side, the double disc "Ghost to a Ghost/Guttertown" offers that same attitude that he's established on his previous releases, with an added element.  That element is the zydeco-esque songs on "Guttertown".  That half of the album really comes across as a concept record of sorts.  At first listen, the tracks with nothing but sound effects sound entirely out of place.  But given a more thorough listen, audiences see that they actually play their own role in what's really a musical story.  It's one more example of how Hank 3 continues to set himself apart from the masses of both country and metal musical acts out there.

Hank 3 is an outlaw musician.  Every one of his albums has broken the mold both in the country and metal communities.  He's broken those molds, and broken their rules.  That's probably why he's nowhere near as famous as his father or grandfather.  Despite that, this third generation outlaw is as fiery as ever.  And if these three new releases are any sign, that fire won't be going out any time soon. 

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Philip Sayblack can be contacted at psayblack@wnct.com