Superjoint Ritual could just be the strangest metal band in the world. For one thing, it's the now-full-time project of Pantera frontman Philip Anselmo, the "chosen one" of what seemed like a dozen side projects he participated in over the past few years. Anselmo didn't even want to sing with the combo, even though his deep-throated roar is perfectly suited to the band's brutal noise.

Another thing: On bass is country-legend-by-birth Hank Williams III, even though you won't hear a bit of twang in Superjoint Ritual.

And then there's this description from guitarist Jim Bower, in an interview this week with the River Cities' Reader: "There's a sort of reality with this band. Simple-man type things, like if Lynyrd Skynyrd was a metal band."

I'm not positive, but I think that Bower means that Superjoint Ritual is meat-and-potatoes, no-frills metal: no masks, no pretense, no power ballads, no nü-metal emoting, just breakneck, mostly tuneless heaviness and angry lyrics delivered with maximum bile and force.

Superjoint Ritual will appear with more than two dozen other metal acts on Friday at Pigstock, which features four stages of music on Friday starting at 1 p.m. in the Freight House complex on River Drive in Davenport. Other big names in the show include Fear Factory, Hatebreed, and Dimmu Borgir. Superjoint Ritual closes the metalfest with an 11 p.m. set on the main stage.

The late 1990s were a rough time for metal of the classic sort. Rap infiltrated the genre, and then some of the new kids started writing lyrics about feelings. No need to worry about that with this band; Superjoint is old-school metal. "The music scene needs a band like Superjoint Ritual right now," Bower said.

It's appropriate that the group is in an Ozzfest lineup that includes the classic lineups of Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Slayer. Superjoint Ritual is cut from the same cloth, and although it doesn't have decades of history like those bands, it's been around a lot longer than many people realize.

The band formed in 1993, Bower said, but other musical projects - such as Pantera for Anselmo and a solo career for Williams - kept its members busy. "We didn't really get a chance to do anything with the band until 2000," he said. The group debuted on CD with Use Once & Destroy in 2002 and issued A Lethal Dose of American Hatred last year.

"We're basically an underground band that's gotten some cool shots," Bower said.

In spite of the pedigrees of its members, Bower said this group is everybody's focus. "Everyone's putting 100 percent into this," he said. "We recognize the potential of the band."

Superjoint Ritual is notable mostly for the combination of its ferocity and its musical proficiency. On A Lethal Dose of American Hatred, the band rarely diverges from the faster-and-louder ethos, grounded in solid, almost catchy riffs. The digressions are certainly welcome: "The Knife Rises" ends with a cacophony of guitars, some playing in harmony and others in dissonance. (This is the only bit of the record that could even remotely be said to have a tune.) The album closes with a slow bass march, like a retreat.

Being on Ozzfest has prevented the group from working on its third record, and Bower said Superjoint Ritual is eager to work on new material. While some outfits compose on the road, this band has a different process. "We need to get in the jam room like we used to," Bower said. The band members throw out riffs together, and Anselmo puts the pieces together. "Philip's one of the best music arrangers I've ever worked with," said Bower, who called him the band's "composer": "He just knows how songs should flow."

Gates for Pigstock open at 1 p.m. on Friday, August 13. Tickets are $30 and available at area Co-op stores or through Ticketmaster. For more information, call (888)272-8401 or visit (http://www.pigstock10.com).

Main-Stage Lineup
2 p.m. Devil Driver
3 p.m. Lacuna Coil
4:30 p.m. Lamb of God
5:40 p.m. Shadowsfall
7 p.m. Dimmu Borgir
8:30 p.m. Hatebreed
9:40 p.m. Fear Factory
11 p.m. Superjoint Ritual

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