Like a headache that you just can't shake Halfway To Gone are back and they're ready to beat your brain into submission with their patented brand of backwoods, bone crunching, rock and roll. Stu's at the helm this time so that beating is no idle threat. The boys from HTG have really outdone themselves with this, their third full length release simply titled Halfway To Gone. Since their inception, Halfway has evolved from your run of the mill heavy on the heavy riff laden stoner rock band into something more than the sum of all it's parts. "Halfway To Gone" follows in the tradition of it's predecessor's (2001's "High Five" & 2002's "Second Season") with 1000 watts of attitude and ten times that in adrenaline, but it also hints at something more. All their time on the road (and it has been a lot) has molded the boys into a meaner and tighter version of the band that sprung from the ashes of Solarized somewhere along the Jersey coast. On the rocking tunes, they rock harder than they ever have before but there are moments where the volume gets turned down and the talent gets pushed to beyond recognition. Skynyrd inspired southern rock jams like "The Other Side" reach out and hit you like a ton of bricks before slipping back into the trusty grooves you know and love Halfway for. While the albums' closer "Mr. Nasty Time" will have you thinking you're in some east village after hours jazz club circa '68. With 20,000 miles of road behind them and many a venue in ruin after their visits these veteran road dogs are taking it easy for 2004. That doesn't mean they won't be traversing the nations highways it just means, see them while you can. It may be your last chance to catch them in those sleazy bars that are fast making them famous.