The Dirty South’s latest single ‘Black Widow’ is a hard rock shuffle with midrange-heavy guitars, chunky drumming and edge-of-screaming vocals. It’s a bold stylistic statement that looks to solidify them as players in a highly competitive scene.
The guitars shoot squarely for cranked-up aggression from the start. They mix blues foundations with more sinister chromatic additions that nearly approaches metal territory. In spite of having two guitarists they elect to omit any guitar solos in favour of heavy chords and riff work. The vocals follow suit.
It’s all guts and gravel with several takes layered over each other in order for it to stand up against the wall of distorted guitars and drums, the overall result being a hard rock track that fires on all cylinders from start to finish. They rein it in for enough of the verse and bridge sections though, so there is contrast to elevate the energy level of the chorus as needed.
The lyrics focus on an unnamed seductress with destruction in mind: ‘It’s time to run from the web of lies/ She’s a Black Widow and she’ll take your life’. With a sinister narrative that’s never resolved, the track retains its desired sense of impending doom.
With ‘Black Widow’ The Dirty South forges ahead in a heavy and edgy effort, as if they’re stepping into the music scene’s proverbial ring and challenging the crowd to give them a shot.
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Listen to “Black Widow” on Soundcloud.
