Friday, May 11, 2012

Deadkill - Self-titled EP




Deadkill Self-titled EP, 2012
(Good to Die)

It’s as enjoyable as a music reviewer to see young bands that are looking back to the past as it is to those that totally unashamedly ignore artists that have gone before with the idea of coming up with something new rather than something borrowed. Seattle's Deadkill twist their heads back into Washington DC’s 80’s hardcore punk past when the likes of Black Flag and Minor Threat.

The vocals on “Oh God Help You” are reminiscent of a youthful Henry Rollins fronting Black Flag although the rhythm is set dowm with drumming from a more standard rock pattern. The first 24 seconds of “5150” is an intro that a number of metal bands would be proud of. After that a constipated parrot voice that typified many an early harcore band comes in and when the song slows a little in the middle the vocals fit between spoken and shouted. If there is such a sub-genre as harcore and roll “Outa My Head” fits. There’s punk ‘n’ roll music with rapid-fire dual shouted vocals which then slow into shouted instructions, “Stand tall, one and all”. The shared yelling reminds me a lot of Minor Threat but going by the song’s lyrics there’s absolutely no way these guys are straight edgers. Those wanting a long song ar going to get cheated by the ninety-second burst “Rip Off”.

This EP serves well as an appetizer as my main complaint is that like a lot of hardcore records, it’s over way toosoon. This EP can be comfortably filed between those twenty plus year old well worn Black Flag and Circle Jerks albums or those still shiny Career Suicide and Off! records. I’m willing to bet Deadkill are an energetic bunch in a live setting.

3.5/5

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Thursday, May 10, 2012

Sigh - Scenes From Hell

SIGH “Scenes from Hell”, 2010
(The End Records)









Anyone that has spent time in Asia will tell you that here’s an overwhelming busyness. This sense of urgency can definitely be heard in avant-garde Japanese black metal band, Sigh’s music, which punishes a listener with unrelenting violent brutality and then the next, one moment, and then the next, engages with Wagnerian symphonic compositions. The album is an aural workout as it often sounds like at least two records are battling it out but honestly, both sounds manage to work in unison.

The blastbeats and evil hobgoblin black metal vocals in “Prelude to the Oracle” are countered with a number of short orchestral bites. “L’art De Mourir” has a stronger classical lean where satan’s minions have a symphony orchestra that adds weight to the sheer metallic heaviness that rushes through. “Soul Grave” is deceptive in that it is at turtle pace if the drumming is ignored but it’s so difficult not to be engrossed with the song as a whole. An eerie effect is created through the narrated part at the start of the three-part opus, “Musica Tempora Belli”. The second part, “The Summer Funeral” has some near spoken and the sung parts move close to black metal opera with the slow moody classical violin aiding the audibility of the vocals. The third part “Musica Tempora Bella” starts out fast and metallic but this is broken with narration. The rollercoaster ride then continues with a surprising sax coming in and hinting at more unexpected twists will be in store for those who have gained admission.

My main complaint with this album is that at times the vocals could be a little clearer. When it’s all too easy to second-guess so many bands’ next chord progression, drumbeat or lyrical phrasing, SIGH come as a welcome relief. The bustle on this record will cause going back for more with the intent of scratching more than just under the surface because hidden treasure are still there to be excavated.

4/5

http://www.myspace.com/sighjapan


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Wednesday, May 9, 2012

The Satin Chaps - Might I Suggest the Satin Chaps

The Satin Chaps, “Might I Suggest The Satin Chaps”, 2012





There’s not much I can compare Rhythm and Blues band, the Satin Chaps with simply because R and B really isn’t a genre of music I’ve explored as it's just not my cup of tea. There’s a member of The Dandy Warhols in this band but that really means nothing. It’s not like all musicians want to be always locked into the style they’re renowned for. For example, there’s an ex-member of 80’s speed metal band, Flotsam and Jetsam in the Dirtbombs and the two bands sound absolutely nothing alike.


The opening song, “Catch on Quick” is a live instrumental. “Wet Leather” is also instrumental and has a portion of surf music vibe. “Jump Shout Shake” is the first song with any lyrics and it’s not hard to imagine the track placed on The Blues Brothers soundtrack. Another instrumental track is “Dry Rub”. “Cry Baby Cry” features singing of the title’s three words at the start the song and then a brass section comes in which is the highlight of the song for me and they disappear far too quickly. Latin rythyms are traversed at the opening of “Funky Matador” before it turns into a laidback loungey island number with surf music undertones. “Lil’ Sweater” starts out with a lot of percussion and the steady beats allow the other players to get loose whilst swinging the beat. “Cruiser” is a slightly laidback jazzy instrumental which could blare inoffensively from a coffee shop as it’s the type of music that would suit that atmosphere and the song is the album’s highlight.




It’s always good to get out of a comfort zone and explore new genres. But I really don’t know enough about this type of music to know whether this a good album of its type or not and I’m unsure if I’m even going to listen to it again so “Might I Suggest The Satin Chaps” only musters a pass mark. Thanks, but I’ll stick to the tried and true blue jeans.

2.5/5

http://thesatinchaps.com/site/


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Tuesday, May 8, 2012

The Living Deadbeats - Self-Titled






The Living Deadbeats S/T 2012
(self-released)



I was emailed this promo out of nowhere by one of the band members who described their music as garage punk with a female singer.    The Canadian band was always going to get my attention due to their name being taken from George Romereo’s movies and the sketchy mockup "Living Dead" parody artwork.

The description is accurate and the band’s music reminds me more than a little of X from Los Angeles although Lindsay Kasting is much more capable of singing in key than Exene Cervenka.   The male/female singer dynamics in The Living Deadbeats tunes is used in songs such as “Walmart Apocalpyse” and “Theme Song”.   The woohoo’s in “Theme Song” are reminiscent of Naked Raygun at their mid-eighties peak and is one of the highlights of the album.   “Beauty of the Rose” is a cover of The Gits’ song.  The weakest track, “Hard Goodbye” is a two and a half-minute slow hard rock number that could be used by Joan Jett without anyone blinking an eyelid.

“Evil Hearted Blues” employs female backing vocals to great effect.  The usual punk rock themes of apathy, anti-consumerism and individualism are covered in the album in “Walmart Apocalypse”.
Unless you’re the UK Subhumans, brevity is the key for punk rock and none of the twelve songs on this disc even reach the three-minute mark.

By taking from the past and using seventies, eighties and even nineties punk, The Living Deadbeats have made a great album that doesn’t sound like many(if any) of their contempararies.  As with many bands, it could be argued that a high percentage of tracks have a smilar sound but often that is a band’s stamp of identity and there’s no doubt you likely own records by a number of bands that are guilty for that very reason.


The band want to give away on of their new tracks so click to download.

4.5/5



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Monday, May 7, 2012

Hip Priests - Full Tilt Bullshit

(Ghost Highway)


Look up all your liquor cabinet and all the female members of your acquaitance because the UK’s Hip Priests are back with a new singer and their lurid punk and roll tales of sex, debauchery, more sex, more debauchery and did I mention even more sex and debauchery?  

 There’s a couple of songs here that more astute will realize are parodies of other songs including the tight opener “Sonic Repoducer” and I’ll take the less subtle “Outa My Head (Into My Pants)” over that horrible Billy Ocean song.  And it’s not to hard a stretch (ha!) to imagine  “Wrist Action” is their version of “Turning Japanese”.

“Baptized in Booze” clues the listener in that The Hip Priests’ shows are drunken sweaty affairs for the audience.  “Gang of One” is the perfect counter to all those punk songs about being in a gang hanging with the crew and comes complete with the obligatory woohoo vocals.  A possible weakness is that it sounds a little too much like all the other haning with the gang songs.  “Dna Dynamite”  lives up to the album’s title and is full tilt and seems to be over much quicker than three minutes and like all good rock 'n'roll borrows from elsewhere, in this case, it's from The Stiff Little Fingers with lyrics twisted to “I gotta go, I gotta ejaculate”  The speed theme continues with “Faster than Fuck”.  The theme of “Dressed Up, Messed Up”  should be  self-explanatory to most readers.  The title “Demon in My Genes”  is possibly the least obvious these guys get but just say it out loud and you get the idea.  Put simply the song rocks regardless.  It’s difficult not to think of The Stooges listening to “Terminal Lust”.

The world’s still in recession but if you love garage punk and roll you should seek out this album and spend your disposable income on  it instead of booze and loose woman although The Hip Priests themselves are more likely to take the latter options.

4/5

See also Dogfight

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Sunday, May 6, 2012

Superchief - Corporate Dynamite

Superchief, Corporate Dynamite(2011).

(self-released)

After reviewing music for a number of years, you get to see bands evolve, although this is often with mixed results.  Superchief only received a pass mark last time they were reviewed here with their album, “Rock Music”.  I wasn’t able to put my finger on exactly why that album didn’t click with me.

Superchief are back again with another outing and the Clutch influence is still very present although the funk influence isn’t as strong with Superchief.  The sheer length of  “Fear No Shield” is of Metallica proportions and there is a smidgeon of that band’s nineties sound although the Clutch is stronger.  “Shovel in the Basement” is made of the very same material that my local commercial rock stations fall over themselves to play as it’s heavy, catchy and features a few guitar solos with a voice that sounds like an angry and husky Eddie Vedder.   The title song, “Corporate Dynamite” starts with a spoken intro then goes into a groove similar to Rob Zombie’s “Living Dead Girl” and has features gob full of grape of vocals that are somewhere between Zombie and Keith Caputo on Life of Agony’s debut. A Zeppelin meets modern stoner rock feel runs through “They Call Me Nomad”  The song is heavy, sounds modern yet has the hallmarks of classic rock. “The Story of the King Killer” lives up to the promise of its title as the song kills with a crunching heaviness.  If this song doesn’t get your head nodding, it’s time for a pulse check.  “The Plan” builds quickly and then falls into a relaxed laidbackness near its finality.  I liked “Saint Bukowski” before I even heard it simply because of the song title’s literary reference, which reminds me I need to watch “Barfly” again.  “Destiny’s Child” sways between quiet to hard and angry but is easily the weakest track on the album.


Superchief are still establishing their indentity but “Corporate Dynamite” is definitely a huge step forward for Superchief so look left and right for explosions.   This album gets more than just a pass mark.

3.5/5





Superchief on myspace

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Beastwars - IV

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