Divine Armor

The day of the heavy metal trio returns with Hazard County Girls, the guitar-bass-drums ensemble from New Orleans. Taking as their inspiration Blue Cheer and Black Sabbath, singer/guitarist Christy Kane, bassist Jennifer K., and drummer Sharon Heather play heavy rock with loud, distorted riffs and pummeling beats. The tempo is often slow, though it is apt to change mid-song, as it does on the opening track, "Red Light," speeding up only to slow back down again. But there are also songs with marching rhythms and even medium tempos. What does not change is the musical approach, as each song is a sonic assault. Over or, at least, beside the pile-driving music, Kane sings with an ominous tone, her lyrics often threatening, if not actually describing murder and mutilation, usually without bothering to rhyme, and set to simple, chant-like melodies. The effect is so desensitizing that, by the time one reaches the end, and "Ceremony II" repeats "Ceremony" by playing the song on a toy piano, it still seems powerful.