Review of the Album Hair of the Dog by Finnish Groovy Thrash Metal Band Mental Care Foundation

Mental Care Foundation with their rough, groovy vocals came onto the scene in 2003. Their 2006 album called Hair of the Dog is their second studio album and they have not released any full length albums since then even though they are still active. If their 2005 studio album Alcohol Anthems was average in some respects, some of you may be wondering how this next album measures up to that one. I can tell you that the album starts with a fury with the short track called Monster Jam in which Henrik Klingenberg yells out the word “yeah” and there is a blues type of solo. Corruption is a song that is influenced by a Swedish thrash metal band that is mentioned below. Stylistically this second song is similar to the late 1990s The Haunted. For those of you that recall that band's debut album with the maximum aggressiveness will know what I mean.

The song called “Trailer Park Trash” has a memorable blues solo that guitarists such as the late Dimebag Darrell would have been really proud of. Even though there is constant repetition of the song's title this one has memorable riffing. Heading into the next song called Slashed there is fast riffing that is reminiscent of the band Slayer and the riffing is performed very well for a 2006 album. The song is a fast, aggressive song with the message of pent up anger and frustration but don't let the lyrics bring you down because this is another well performed song by a band that is likely not known to many metal fans worldwide. “Lay Down” is a song that metaphorically speaks of the fact that the person that wants to get up off of the ground cannot bring himself back up in spite of how far he has come. “Nothing” is a song that has strange lyrics where it is like everything reminds him of nothing but the song has solid groovy thrash riffing. Mental Care Foundation has really improved in the span of just one year and this is a sort of miracle. “12:47” is a bass starting song that is short, fast, furious, and aggressive reminding me of the band The Haunted.

Trailer Park Trash is a song that is a sort of directed against those that are considered to be at the lowest level of the human species as these people lead a life that is really messed up as they try to bring the world down. That song is one of the best in the history of Mental Care Foundation.

“King Alcohol” is a song about a person that has messed up their life so much that no lifeguard can save them. They have nowhere to go. Is there life in this person's body as Henrik Klingenberg sings. “Sane/Insane” ends this solid modern groovy thrash album as the song lyrically is about someone trying to scare the heck out of someone else and trying to bring them down. Overall, Hair of the Dog contains plenty of groovy thrash, aggressive vocals, and just enough speed to satisfy fans of the genre however, I would stop short of saying they are better than Pantera were.