Hell or Highwater is the side project of Brandon Saller, more known from his work in Atreyu. I had not heard of the band until I stumbled upon them on Spotify. This debut album is a fine slice of fast paced rock n roll in the same vein as No Love Lost, Burn Halo and Black Stone Cherry. From the get go we are treated to three great songs, a nice way to start the album. Sure not all songs are great but for the most part they are of very high quality.
The first three as mentioned are brilliant, Rock Waters Edge is a song that would not been out of place on an album by Black Stone Cherry. Crash & Burn is another great song as is When the Morning Comes. There is a nice variation to the songs and the production does not give away that this is an independent release. Hopefully this will get them signed to a major label soon.
After a couple of spins I really dig this album. When the finals notes of closer We all Wanna Go Home I must say that I disagree, I want to stay and listen to this album some more. From flying under the radar this has evolved as a candidate for modern rock album of 2011 in my books. Highly recommendable!
