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Rev Hammer is a modern day minstrel, a permanently travelling troubadour. Raised on the sounds of Irish folk music, Delta blues, and Johnny Cash, Rev started singing at the age of eleven; 'Big Bad John' at an agricultural show, and started wandering not too many years later. Fuelled by the sounds of his youth, and driven feverishly by the inspiration of The Clash, Rev took to the road in the early eighties, and has been gigging constantly ever since. He has performed at five Glastonbury Festivals, two Edinburgh Festivals, and the Voessa Jazz Festival in Norway. He has also toured with The Levellers, New Model Army, The Oysterband, Richard Thompson, Billy Bragg, and Hank Wangford. A chance meeting with The Levellers in the heartland of England, has led to a lasting friendship, and the collaboration on this album. Drawn together by the similarity of their nomadic lifestyles, when Rev came to record there was only one group of musicians he could possibly work with. The result of which is 'Industrial Sound and Magic'.

The opening track, Down by the River O, almost sounds like a Levellers number with a new singer, simple beats and violin led, and the sentimentality and feeling of the Levellers classic single One Way. This however is the only song that they seem to dominate, from here on in it is Rev Hammer all the way, stripped back acoustic, folk ballads, working men's back street anthems, and a blend of romance, beauty, dirt and social comment. True Blue is a contrast to the opener, this is a raw blues number, a white John Lee Hooker spreading his own message, complete with blues guitar solo. The ballad of a failed boxer comes next in the form of Punch-drunk, the urban downbeat tales springing from Hammer as easily as the windswept folk tunes that he is known for, and one of his finest, 'Ole Welsh Soul follows. Just a voice and a guitar lead the track leaving plenty of space for the glorious sentiment of the lyrics, an anthem to the beauty and spirit of Wales, a place that seems close to Hammers heart. His ability to blend soul and history, social concerns and the beauty of a land that he feels part of makes this song a highlight of the album.

Where water paints the mountainsides,
Gliding down in silver tides,
Reflecting many things we need to know.
We drank our drinks when Harlech drank,
Sang its song and left our thanks,
Saying, "Oh, God, bless the valley below."

California Bound sees the backing band return with force to provide sweeping and majestic violin and spine-tickling

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