The Lord Weird Slough Feg- Traveller Supplement 1: The Ephemeral Glades (EP Review)

The Lord Weird Slough Feg is truly a cult band, as those that have spent time with any of their discography often can’t get enough of their quirkier take on heavy metal.  At the core of their sound is galloping NWOBHM and proto-metal/hard rock, but their exploration of fantasy and science fiction themes always had a nerdier and in-depth approach than the bombastic angles of some of the others out there.  Early on their albums emphasized more of a medieval fantasy and Celtic, but by 2003’s Traveller things had shifted towards science fiction.  That album was based on a campaign founder Mike Scalzi had done in the tabletop game of the same name and showcased some of the group’s heaviest riffs while retaining the unexpected stylistic flourishes and other quirks that have defined their discography.  Slough Feg has covered a lot of ground since then, dropping The Lord Weird for a fourteen-year period and emphasizing slightly different elements of their heavy metal canon on each album.  2019’s New Organon saw them bring that name back and pivot towards a tone and songwriting style that felt closer to their earlier days.  With this in mind, it makes sense that the next release to follow New Organon would be a sequel to Traveller after two decades, Traveller Supplement 1: The Ephemeral Glades.  It’s a briefer, more direct listen than its predecessor, but showcases that even this far into their career this group still has plenty to offer those who prefer this type of heavy metal and hard rock.

At just under twenty-three minutes, the material that makes up this EP supplement is lean, so don’t expect some of the slower moments from the original Traveller.  The closest the EP gets to this is opener “Knife World” and the appropriately named “Vargr Reprise”, as the former spends its first half going for a brisker tempo and earlier NWOBHM riffing but settles into a warmer and slower approach by the end that lets the melodies wash over the recording.  The latter is a classic galloping tempos with plenty of high flying solos and dual guitar work that’s a great way to finish things off, and the way it fades out suggests that another EP could easily follow it up sometime in the future.  The other five tracks take a more direct approach that feels like it bridges the gap between Slough Feg’s last two full-lengths and some of their earlier work.  This does result in some standout moments, as “Mission on Mithril” finds that perfect balance between warmer melodies and muscular riffing, while “Magnetic Fluctuations” is the most Wishbone Ash or Thin Lizzy sounding the band has been in awhile.  Admittedly there are some moments that run together despite the short length, as there aren’t quite as many twists and turns compared to some of the band’s discography and the tone is a bit subdued compared to the beefier, lumbering approach of Traveller.  There’s still plenty here that will keep long-time fans like myself coming back, as when the guitars soar Slough Feg does it better than most, but it doesn’t quite reach that same upper echelon of their discography.

The narrative on this EP picks up where Traveller left off, but even if you’re not as well versed with the original it’s easy to appreciate what Scalzi and company have to offer.  The way that Scalzi weaves together a narrative from one song to the next continues to be a distinguishing element of the band and makes their material more compelling.  On the vocal front the gruffer singing has been a trademark piece of the Slough Feg experience, and while Scalzi has lost a little range over time his approach still suits the music well.  For Traveller Supplement 1: The Ephemeral Glades the group decided to not only use the same studio as Traveller but even the same microphones, and this does make it interesting to compare the performances between the two.  I’m personally happy to hear Scalzi still hit some higher pitches on songs like “Magnetic Fluctuations”, as he has that larger than life persona that’s suited for a sci-fi narrative.

Deciding to do a sequel to a beloved album is always a risk, as there are plenty of examples where it’s backfired in spectacular fashion.  But The Lord Weird Slough Feg has pulled it off, and while things aren’t quite as heavy as the original and a bit more straightforward in construction the riffs and narrative make this a worthy follow-up.  It feels like a natural bridge between the 2003 original and the band’s more recent material, and while I’m personally hoping that they eventually do some lengthier tracks along the lines of “Ape Uprising” it’s possible it didn’t fit in with the style of Traveller.  Traveller Supplement 1: The Ephemeral Glades is available from Cruz del Sur Music.

-Review by Chris Dahlberg