Maximum Metal Rating Legend
5 Excellent - Masterpiece. A classic.
4.5-4 Great - Almost perfect records but there's probably a lacking.
3.5 Good - Most of the record is good, but there may be some filler.
3 Average - Some good songs, some bad ones at about a half/half ratio.
2.5-2 Fair - Worth a listen, but best obtained by collectors.
1.5-1 Bad - Major problems with music, lyrics, production, etc.
0 Terrible - Waste of your life and time.

Note: Reviews are graded from 0-5, anything higher or not showing is from our old style. Scores, however, do not reveal the important features. The written review that accompanies the ratings is the best source of information regarding the music on our site. Reviewing is opinionated, not a qualitative science, so scores are personal to the reviewer and could reflect anything from being technically brilliant to gloriously cheesy fun.

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Band
Black Oak County
Title
Black Oak County
Type
LP/EP
Company
Mighty Music
YOR
2017
Style
Hard Rock
2/2/2017 - Review by: Eric Compton
Danish hard rock act with enough heaviness to please the die-hards
Damn, this is the most fun I’ve had in months with a record. Denmark’s Black Oak County are a heavy four-piece that slide perfectly into that niche between hard rock and heavy metal. This debut album comes by way of Mighty Music (Tygers of Pan Tang, Sea), a Danish label that seems to be the newest rising force in artist development and execution. Opener “Someone Else” is a rhythmic mosh rock with heavy distortion amongst it’s faster paced groove set. Guitarist-vocalist Niels Beier is a charismatic front man and has a rougher edging around his mostly clean vocal delivery. I like the backing vocal trade-off in the chorus, which makes this a fun opening statement. The album single, “Mad Dog”, is symbolic of what to expect from the band and album. It’s a faster song, using the down-tuned strings to add a little bit of swinging charm to a ferociously heavy cut. Likeable cuts are the accessible “Save Me” and “Laughing with the Crows” while the heavier songs are highlighted by aggressive number “The Boogeyman”. The record’s polish is handled by producer-engineer Jonas Haagensen (Aphyxion) at Jacob Hansen’s Hansen Studios in Denmark. Looks like a winner. Sounds like a winner. Gotta be a winner, right?
  • 1 :REVIEW COUNT
    4 :AVE RATING

ALL REVIEWS FOR: BLACK OAK COUNTY
TITLE
DOR
COMPANY
REVIEWER DATE MADE RATING
Black Oak County
2017
Mighty Music
Eric Compton2/2/2017
4

ALL INTERVIEWS FOR: BLACK OAK COUNTY
INTERVIEW INTERVIEWER DATE TAGLINE
Niels BeierEric Compton2/3/2017"Hard Rock's New 'Mad Dog'"


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