Duff McKagan's Loaded - The Taking

How long can you live off your past?  There are a lot of guys that try to live off their past, to establish their own thing.  Some succeed, but some fail miserably.  In the case of Guns N Roses, there have been so many members, that it would take a statistician to figure out who all has been in the band.  The main/original guys are/were Slash, Duff, Izzy and let's even say Adler.  These were the original guys, but do they stay relevant outside of G n R?  Well the jury is out.  Some say yes, some say no and others just don't give a fuck.  Yours truly, is probably in the latter 3rd.  Believe me, I 'll check out anything these guys do, but I'm not going to lick their balls and say it is great because they were in G n R.  Don't get me started on G n R.

Duff McKagan is branching out, as his counterpart Slash, and trying to start his own thing.  Even though they have Velvet Revolver, I'm sure they want to keep busy, during the hiatus.  Like Slash, he has only experienced a moderate bit of success, outside of the G n R regime, but I'm sure he hopes to strike pay-dirt, with his new band Loaded.  The band has just released their 2nd CD, The Taking which hit stores a few months back. 

The Taking has kind of a punk/groove thing going on.  The first song to somewhat grab me was the 2nd tune of the disc Executioners Song.  It is a cool track with a classic Black Sabbath feel to it.  I like the groove, but unfortunately, as with most of the disc, Duff's vocals fall a little short. The one thing is that Duff's vocals start off week, but seem to get better as the CD progresses.  The following track Dead Skin is definitely the best track on the CD.  It is a poppier, more melodic track, which is catchier than anything else on the album.  High point on the CD is the axework from guitarist Mike Sqires.  Dude is not the best guitarist ever, but is very tasteful and adds alot to each track.  Not a bad CD, but not a great one either.  Fans of buzz rock will probably dig this one.

Bottom Line:  A nice mix of buzz rock and punk.  The majority of the songs are catchy, but not spectacular.  For fans of buzz rock, ala Foo Fighters

Standout Tracks: Executioner's Song, Dead Skin and She's an Anchor.

-Ragman is needing sleep......