Search - Tossers :: Valley of the Shadow of Death

Best Irish influenced album of 2005!

R. Perez | Falls Church, VA United States | 10/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Inspired by bands like the Chieftains and Pogues in their Irish influenced folk/punk ways, we have the Tossers from Chi-town. As an avid fan of this genre I must say that the Tossers just keep getting better & better with each new album they put out. Their new album "The Valley of the Shadow of Death" blew me away the first time I heard it and still continues to do so. It's been two years since "Purgatory"(their last album) came out and I've been anxiously awaiting any new Tossers material. Unlike most bands of this genre that rely so much on traditional Irish tunes to carry most of their album, the Tossers possess tons of creativety when writing their own original lyrics. Lead singer and mandolin player, T. Duggins voice just matches the music so well, just check out the opening line in "Criminal of Me"-"My great, great, GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT Granda was a king!" and Becca's fiddle playin' sounds so superb, especially on the traditional "Preab San Ol"(translate "another round" of drinks) which opens up with 2 verses of Gaelic Irish, followed by 2 verses of English, but damn! This tune really jams out as it develops and now has become my favorite on the album. From the anthem like "No Loot, No Booze, No Fun" to the angst fury found on "I've Pursued Nothing" and to the inspirational "Crock of Gold"(would even make Shane MacGowan proud), there's not a bad track to be found on this album. They may not be as well known like other Irish influenced bands out there, but who cares! If they wanted Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys fans they could easily grab them. So without hesitation I can easily say this is the best Tossers album to date and the best Irish influenced album of 2005 and I highly recommend it!"

Different

The Iron Summit E-Zine | Arizona | 10/07/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is totally off-the-wall release for Victory, atleast in comparison to a lot of the crap they've been peddling to the mainstream which I suppose is the irony about Victory--they can release such brilliant records at times and release absolute garbage other times. In anycase, The Tossers basically don't fit into anything Victory currently puts out (or even in the past, that I can think of?) and while I'm not to awfully caught up on this style of music I suppose it's best described as an Irish influenced fusion of folk and punk--something like the Dropkick Murphys but with more of a focus on the irish and folk influences and just a dash of punk (basically you're not going to hear any fast 3 chord progressions here but it does have the attitude of a punk record). From a technical perspective, the music is written very well and it's catchy as hell. Their some tracks that are only 1:30 long and then others that clock in well over the 6:00 mark. The band is very talented at what they do, but even I'll admit this record isn't for everyone. The average listener of Victory's current roster will probably absolutely hate this. Listen before you buy. Highlight tracks include "Good Morning Da," "No Loot, No Booze, No Fun," and the title track."

Best Tossers Album to Date

Ian A. Schultz | Los Angeles, CA | 10/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After listening to the mandolin dominated Communication & Conviction, the Last Seven Years; the solid albums Purgatory and the Long Dim Road; and finally The Vally of the Shadow of Death, I can honestly say that this is the best Tossers album to date. The songs are well balanced and they have stayed true to the Irish/Punk roots that make their music work. I especially enjoy A Criminal of Me, The Crock of Gold, and the title track; but that is not to say there are any weak tracks on the album. If you're interested in hearing some Irish punk this would be a good place to start off, or perhaps listen to some of the Pogues, who started it all. If you've listened to some of the other Tossers albums and enjoyed them you'll surely enjoy this one as well. If you like some of the other bands out there like The Pogues, Flogging Molly, the Skels, and Blood or Whiskey, then you'll like these boys from Chicago too."