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After the brilliance of Hardworlder there was one way for Slough Feg to go, and it wasn't up. Their seventh full-length album Ape Uprising is a bit of a departure from their usual output, but it still flashes the old Slough Feg brilliance. There had been talk that the band was abandoning metal in favor of a rock sound, and while this is a bit more rocking, it's still Slough Feg all the way.

The album opens up with the atypical "Hunchback of Notre Doom", which is appropriately the doomiest song that Slough Feg have ever done. "Overborne" is a bit weak, but the title track and the following "Simian Manifesto" are pure Slough Feg magic with galloping riffs and Mike Scalzi's unmistakable vocals. There are some ‘rockier' songs on here, like "Shakedown at the Six" and "Nasty Hero", but they are still enjoyable. "Ape Outro" is one of my favorites here, with the best vocal hooks on the album. Any fears that Slough Feg were trying to go mainstream will be put to rest by this album, as it is as defiantly anti-commercial as anything they have done. I do miss the old fantastic/sci-fi lyrics, but those could always return next album. For now, this will satisfy me. Ape Uprising is not the best work from this band, feeling uneven in places, but it's still a solid disc.