The immense consistency and sheer quality of the music Slough Feg have fathered during their nearly 25 active years marks them dangerously close to legendary within heavy metal circles. Their namesake debut and Twilight of the Idols vitalized and added a serious boost to the genre in the late nineties, and since they have more than held their own with Down Among the Deadmen and Traveller which surely will reach classic status in due time. Although I admittedly was never very high on Animal Spirits, there have been none of the seemingly inevitable downers in their career so far, thus this band is deserving of every bit of praise they’re getting.

Digital Resistance marks the ninth album of the giants from San Fransisco, and they expectedly deliver. Slough Feg was never about anything else than great, classic heavy metal riffs coupled with the charismatic and unique vocal work from the ageless pipes of Mike Scalzi. The lyrics are cleverly done as ever, and the production is crispy and nice. It is fairly easy to pick out bits and pieces of Di’anno-eraIron Maiden here, Close to the Edge-era Yes there, and a lot of golden-age Thin Lizzy and Sabbath everywhere. Despite this, this is Slough Feg through and through, doing their own thing, juggling the magic of their peers, remaining unique with their overwhelming creativity and heavy metal wizardry.

"But then warriors don’t age well as it seems" Scalzi claims on the closing track Warriors Dusk. Well, I beg to differ, Mr. Scalzi. While it may be for us mere mortals, it is at least not the case for Slough Feg.

Opener Analogue Avengers/Bertrand Russell’s Sex Den twists and turns and touches upon prog rock territory, mid-paced and magical Habeas Corpus and the speedy Laser Enforcer are distinct nods to the mentioned Maiden, while the riffladen Warriors Dusk carries Thin Lizzy-esque influences. Furthermore, Curriculum Vitae drifts close to doomy territory akin to Black Sabbath, in other words, you’re getting all you ever wanted from a heavy metal record.

If you like the beast that Slough Feg have evolved into the last decade or so which is a bit slower paced than their earlier work, this will be right up your alley, and to be frank it’s impossible not to enjoy even if you prefer their classic stuff. While not quite up there with Hardworlder and Ape Uprising!, this is the heavy metal record to beat in 2014.