At the moment when Molly Hatchet launches out in a new European tour which unfortunately will not pass by France, the band leaves a Live “Battleground”. This album is a kind of posthumous tribute to their singer Phil McCormack who died last April. It was recorded at Z7 in Pratteln and on the American tour of the 40th anniversary of the Southern band.

Let's not stop at the totally missed cover by Paul Raymond Gregory, usually more inspired for Saxon, Uriah Heep or Motörhead! He wanted to copy Frazetta but without his talent, too bad ... So let's focus on the content of this double CD. In 19 emblematic titles, it covers the main part of MH's career, 40 years of good and loyal service rendered to Southern Rock... We find there old fires like "Bounty Hunter", "Whiskey Man", "Dreams I'll Never See", "Beatin 'The Odds"or other"Flirtin' With Disaster"but also more rarely played titles like"Why Won't You Take Me Home", "Jukin 'City" or "The Creeper" that I love!

We can obviously blame the absence of a second guitarist since Bobby Ingram insists on grabbing all the six-string parts ... We can also continue to regret that some albums are still and always "forgotten" as the excellent "Take No Prisoners" or the very FM "The Deed Is Done". In any case the band gives the best of itself to live the legacy of Molly Hatchet... Even if some call it a simple "tribute band", Bobby, John, Tim, Shawn and now Jimmy remain the guarantors that we continue to celebrate on stage the music of this cult band for our greatest pleasure... Let us not forget that with the announced end of Skynyrd, the disappearance of the "real" Blackfoot, the almost inexistence of the Outlaws, etc. . Molly Hatchet remains one of the rare bands of this time still in activity and this live is the testimony!

Olivier Carle