This album came out two decades ago. Here’s what I had to say about it back then (with some minor editing):
Few bands have been unluckier than Raging Slab.
The New York outfit basically kick-started the whole retro-boogie stoner-rock scene 15 years ago, only to end up watching lesser talents surpass them while they got jerked around by record company weasels. Now, after being sidelined for three years waiting out their ill-fated last deal, the mighty Slab finally emerge with their sixth platter of greasy Southern-fried grits-rock and twisted trailer-trash metal. As always, redneck-throated singer Greg Strzempka’s songs (Flap Your Boogie Flap, Bite the Lightning) are as oddball as the spelling of his last name, and his lyrics (“Double wide / and half-assed”) never fail to raise a smirk. Meanwhile, the rest of the Slabs — especially fearsomely talented slide-guitarist and vocalist Elyse Steinman — remain one of the tightest outfits in rock, winding their way through an endless array of syncopated, mutant-boogie licks as deftly as if they were jamming on 12-bar blues. Still, despite sure-to-be Slab classics like Sir Lord Ford, Here Lies and That’s Alright, this isn’t as consistent as their flawless early albums. Hey, after three years, you can’t expect ’em to bat .1000. But with The Dealer, at least Raging Slab are back in the game.
