Groundhogs - Split The Groundhogs kinda got overlooked here in the US on their first go 'round, but leave it to the reissue circuit to shed some light on well deserved classics of the proto-metal spectrum. The band formed originally in the mid-60's during the first wave of British
Blues revivalism, changed ever so briefly to Herbal Mixture to cash in on the spread of psychedelia and then reformed back as Groundhogs with a power trio lineup and churned out three of their best albums, with main man TS McPhee hitting a bit of a creative stride in the early 70's. Split lies in the middle of that run of albums and is marked by a suite of songs all under the title's name in parts 1-4. The album stretches and rumbles, digs through piles of riffs and then turns supersonic on highlight "Cherry Red". The band have gotten some well deserved recognition of late with Earthless and Ty Segall covering tracks from this and Thank Christ For The Bomb, both of which stand at the top of their catalog. However, regardless of high profile hat tips, any fan of heavy Brit-rock should have this in their collection stacked neatly next to copies of Leaf Hound, Zep and Cream. Listen: Support the artist. Buy it HERE