Originally
Deadboy & the Elephantmen's 2002 debut album,
If This Is Hell Then I'm Lucky was reissued in 2008 under
Dax Riggs' name only. While
Riggs is certainly the main creative force behind this album, rebranding it as his work instead of that of
Deadboy & the Elephantmen is a little confusing, since the feel and sound here is very different than
Riggs' 2007 album
We Sing of Only Blood or Love. When it was first released,
If This Is Hell Then I'm Lucky introduced
Riggs' move away from the harder, more purely metal terrain of his previous bands,
Acid Bath and Agents of Oblivion, into a more eclectic sound that borrowed from psychedelic rock, alt-rock, and blues as well as metal -- a journey that
Riggs' continued on his later solo albums. "Strange Television" kicks off the album with a dark, trippy atmosphere that sounds like a grittier version of
Pink Floyd: synths hover and lift off from dolorous guitar arpeggios, and
Riggs' voice even has some of
Roger Waters' aloof anguish in it. From there, the song delves into grinding choruses with hand drums lending a wild, almost exotic touch, then pulls back for a brief piano-driven respite. The rest of
If This Is Hell Then I'm Lucky teeters between thrilling and overindulgent: "Song with No Name" combines pizzicato strings and guitars that turn from swirling to savage to great effect, but other songs, like "Heart of Green" -- a droning, acoustic ballad that's pretty but just doesn't have enough there to justify its eight-minute length -- collapse under their ambitions. And, as if the album's title wasn't enough of a hint,
Riggs' melodramatic tendencies almost get the better of him on "Waking Up Insane" and "Graves Beyond Windows." Despite the missteps,
If This Is Hell Then I'm Lucky shows how
Riggs' sound was evolving: "Like the Dead Would Laugh"'s slow burn and snake-charming guitars have the hypnotic pull of
Riggs' later work, while "High Monster" and "Otherworldly Dreamer" have a stripped-down sound that remains a touchstone on
We Sing of Only Blood or Love.
If This Is Hell Then I'm Lucky is a transitional album in the truest sense, and while it may be uneven,
Riggs fans will no doubt enjoy hearing his earlier work. ~ Heather Phares