Various Artists

Hillbillies in Hell Volume 9

scum stats: three variations, all limited, but seemingly none more limited than the others? mine is orange/red/pink "Lord of the Flies" splatter

I know, I'm one volume behind on the series, but damn they just keep on churning out these gems faster than I can listen.

Since 2015 the folks at the Iron Mountain Analog Research Facility have been compiling the best of the "darker" side of country music. You know, the murder ballads, songs about Satan, drugs...the good shit. A bit odd that it took an Australian company to have the good sense to make these connections, but I ain't complaining.

I can wholeheartedly say that NONE of these compilations have disappointed me, each one filled to the brim with deep, insightful biographies of the performers, photos, label scans, just, you know...done right.

Highlights on volume 9 include Ernest Tubb's "Saturday Satan, Sunday Saint" and "Dark Moon" by Bonnie Guitar. But really, you cannot go wrong with any of these songs or comps. A+ for effort and execution and the reason that I've tracked them all down including paying stupid money for the first one (which I WAS aware of upon release, but seemed to be unavailable from distributors by the time I looked to pull the trigger).