No Deliverance (CD - 2008)

Audio Mixer: David Castell.

Recording information: CPR Studio, Dallas, TX; Forth Worth Sound, Ft Worth, TX; Melody Lane, Austin, TX.

Photographer: Scogin Mayo.

More than seven years after the release of 2001's HELL BELOW/STARS ABOVE, the Texan alternative-rock act Toadies finally reemerged with its third studio album, NO DELIVERANCE. Marked by chugging guitar lines and singer Todd Lewis's howling vocals, these songs successfully revisit the band's mid-1990s post-grunge heyday, particularly on the urgent, Soundgarden-like opener, "So Long Lovey Eyes"; the stinging title track; and the sinister stomper "Hell in High Water." Though nothing on NO DELIVERANCE quite matches Toadies' hook-filled hit "Possum Kingdom," it's a fine return to form that will easily please diehard fans of the Lone Star State ensemble. minimize