Molly Hatchet

Originality obviously doesn't count for much in the heavy-metal sweepstakes: Molly
Hatchet are boogie men in the best Dixie tradition, while Judas Priest is an English gang of
black-leather droogs who, when they're good, sound like Deep Purple, and when they're
bad, like Black Sabbath at 78 rpm. But since excess scores points in this genre, Hatchet's
three-prong guitar offensive and Priest's disembowelment of Joan Baez' otherwi... More >

Some doctrinaire new wavers see the rapid success of this Jacksonville sextet as a reactionary portent, but as an old Skynyrd fan I can't get upset. They do boogie better than, let's see here, Missouri, Bama, Crimson Tide, .38 Special, Wet Willie, Atlanta Rhythm Section, or (mercy sakes) the Charlie Daniels Band. Really, they sound pretty good. Only one thing missing: content. (Grade: C+)