Reviews – Page 28

Cold Blue Rebels – Blood, Guts, N’ Rock & Roll

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Imagine yourself walking through an apocalyptic 1950s Hollywood. An ominous wind howls down empty streets. A bone white moon hangs in the sky. The unsettling calm is replaced with the the sound of engines revving and tires squealing. The moon turns to blood. The scraping of shuffled feet draws near. In seconds you’re surround by pompadour-bedecked greasers and buxom undead vamps with low cut tops and the worst intentions. The upright bass begins to thump out a rhythm. Guitars wail. You don’t seem to mind that your brains are now becoming a meal.

For the undead rockabilly / psychobilly set amongst you, get yourself prepared to rock with the Cold Blue Rebels. Blood, Guts, N’ Rock & Roll is the brand new release from straight from Hollywood’s freshest dug graves.

Musically, the Cold Blue Rebels (CBR) run the psychobilly spectrum from the Stray Cats sounding, “Cold Blue & Beautiful” to a more straight up punk sounds of “Brain Food” and the Mad Sin-esque tones of “Drenched In Black”. Frankly it is nice to hear this amount of variety in what can often be a rather one-trick-pony sub genre.

Blood, Guts, N’ Rock & Roll does have, for better or worse, the trappings of the genre: zombies, zombie hookers, death, blood, gore, presented in a 50s horror film style. For what it’s worth though, a good part of the charm of psychobilly is the revision of the rockabilly culture with the horror kitsch spin; fast cars, fast guitars, switch blades, and the undead. … you know, right?

Pound for pound a damn fine effort for a bunch of undead.

For fans of: Stray Cats, Mad Sin, Elvis Hitler, Gene Vincent’s Ghost

Tracks:
1. Procession Of The Crypt Keeper
2. Cold, Blue And Beautiful
3. Hell Block 13
4. Worm Hole Hooker
5. Pumpkin King
6. Big Boss Man
7. Lil’ Grave Robber
8.Sock Hop Strangler
9. Brain Food
10. Zombie Love
11. Drenched In Black
12. Riot In Cell Block #9

Werewolfs – So Yeah, We’re Werewolves

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…So Yeah, Were Werewolves. Just from the band name you can tell that they’re one of them overly confident metalcore band that are oh so popular right about now. From Colorado, there’s not much to know other than they had a bit of a break, then reformed late 2010. Werewolfs was released in December, and is a re-release of their Cadavers EP and also features demos from 2008.

The album opens with an intro track full of noises straight out of a horror movie sound effect library. Then the screams, on ‘Majesticadaver’, scare you out of your skin as soon as they’re registered in your brain. By screams I mean vocals, if that’s what you wanna call them. The instrumental side of it is chaotic, with pretty much no structure whatsoever. There’s a slight hint of Every Time I Die to them, only slight. Don’t get too excited.

‘Jenny From The Blockadaver (Undead Version)’ starts with the typical chugging Hardcore guitar riff, joined by electro/keyboard sounds, think Enter Shikari. There’s a very long intro- 1 minute, as opposed to none at all on the first track, but not much difference from the track before it. It’s clear now that it’s going to be hard to tell one song from the other.

Straight into the screams again on ‘Anachronisticadaver’. The feral instrumentals continue onto this one, making it hard to tell where one track ends and the next begins. ‘Sunshine Friends/ Dr. Jurassic Park (demo)’ kicks off with a deeper scream- kinda like Candace from Walls Of Jericho. Then the insane, screechy yelps re-emerge. Damn. Gang vocals are added to the mix of out of tune wailing on the chorus of, this, the first of 2008’s demo tracks on this record.

‘Majesticadaver (demo)’ sounds the same as the mastered version, just not as polished. What you’d expect from a demo. Oh, and it’s 4 seconds longer. One demo track that’s better than the mastered version (and most of the other songs for that matter), is ‘Anachronisticadaver (demo)’. It actually has some structure to it. Again with the pointless empty 1 minute intro on ‘J- Dahm’s Bromance (demo), which is a shame because it is one of the best songs on the CD. There’s a pause in the middle of it, then it starts back up again, who knows if it’s two tracks in one. ‘Scott Beowolf (demo)’, the final track, is an epic electro instrumental piece. Well, until 2 minutes in when the yells kick in. That’s all it is, yells. No words, just yelling for over a minute. And this still counts as music how exactly?

…So Yeah, to sum it up, this compilation of an EP and demo tracks is essentially 25 minutes of deranged, unsettling noise. Which is pretty much the definition of math-core. So enjoy! I suppose.

–Frankii

Sadplant The End of Fun

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© 2011 Sadplant
[rating:3.5/5]

Connecticut’s prolific favorites are back with a new release. I know that it’s been like 16 minutes since the last new release, but hell if you got the goods, rock with it, right?

The End of Fun brings 12 new tracks of snotty punk rock songs of angst, despair, guts and a slight slight glimmer of hope. Along with that, if you’ve been following this band at all, you get a lot more synchronicity in the music. While the recording still has a garage edge to it, the music is more polished and I think the mix is finally right.

I try not to gush, but this band really makes me proud. They, like the rest of us have to deal with every waking day, but through daily struggles of life and lineup changes (new drummer) they continue to produce. I’m not sure I need to say much more.

Speaking of the lineup, Sadplant currently consists of Benny Social on guitar and vox, Amy Wappel on bass and box and Gabe Fonseca on drums and vox as well. The bottom line is that Sadplant rocks. The underline is that if you get bored with the last release, you get a new one in minutes.

On a side note, I totally dig male / female point / counterpoint vocals. … makes me think of the old school track Oki Dogs from Youth Gone Mad or Hopeless Romantic from Bouncing Souls (or heaven forbid, Renee Zellweger in Capital Records. … I kid, I kid. That movie rocks.)

Cheers!

Prize The Doubt – This Will Die Unrecognized

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This Will Die Unrecognized is the new EP from Ohio’s Prize The Doubt. Six tracks of intriguing, semi-melodic (I say semi-melodic because the songs drift from melodic to hyper-aggressive) rock. The vocals especially enforce the melodic nature of the guitar drive rock riffs.

Prize The Doubt (PTD) consists of Alex Webb on guitars/vox, Brent Bogard on bass/vox and Jeremy Hill filling the percussion roll. If you’ve read any of my reviews before, you’ll know that I have a bit of a bias towards the punk/metal/rock/[insert genre here] trios. PTD certainly doesn’t change that. I appreciate the way the songs are tighter knit to accommodate the stripped down cast.

The EP, as mentioned, offers six tracks all of which seem to run from dreamy to screamy within the same song. Generally I find that formula a bit off-putting, but PTD throws it down in a manner that remains enjoyable. I think the quirky beats and vocal counter point goes a long way to keep the songs fresh. … Don’t get me wrong though, it could be totally better if the screamo direction would be kept at a barest of bare minimums. There is also an appreciable level of complexity to the arrangements that makes this EP hard to overlook.

All said and done, a solid EP and I would definitely listen to Prize The Doubt again.

Tracks:
1. Forget And Forget Again
2. Innocent Subjects
3. We Are Too Separate
4. Daily News Is Dead
5. The Purity Of Conformity
6. October 17th

Do It With Malice – The Burned Over District

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[rating:3/5]
© 2010 Do It With Malice

Do you ever listen to new music and hear an influence or similarity, a subtle influence in the sound that makes your mind battle to figure out who or what it reminds you of? Well damn if I don’t have that going on when I listen to The Burned Over District, the new release from Do It With Malice.

Do It With Malice (DIWM) hails from the city of Buffalo in the great state of New York and plays an intriguing blend of metal punk ska. As a five-piece, the band is stripped down for efficiency considering that they have a 2/5 horn player ratio. I say hells yeah, good for them, less people to split the income with.

The Burned Out District features 10 tracks running reasonably on the quick side of the tempo spectrum. The majority of the songs are, to one degree or another, ska influenced and run heavy on the metal. An interesting note is that a good portion, especially in the early tracks of the disc, lead in with very 80’s style intros. Just listen to the single note metal riffery of “Fermeta Armada” and the clean/chorus guitar intro on track 2, “6-18” and you’ll know exactly what I mean.

In addition to previous, It also feels like there is a bit of funk influence as well. Overall, I think The Burned Over District is a solid and competent, if not completely cohesive release. I think maybe I would have arranged tracks a bit differently and I think I would ditch a lot of the guitar effects, but hey opinions vary. … But what the hell does this remind me of? Now that I think more about it, the entire sound makes me think of newer Catch 22 mixed with 311 … if you add that up, you get Catch 333 … coincidence, I think not.

Bottom line: Solid ska/punk/metal outta Buffalo. I think I would totally dig them live.

Tracks:
1: Fermata Armada
2: 6.18
3: Take The Stage
4: Russian Roulette
5: No Music
6: Nickel and Dime
7: Rabiddz
8: Pirt Egnarts
9: Choke Me Running
10: Commodity

For more info: www.diwmny.com

Bust – Suck Kuts

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[rating:3/5]
© 2010 Cassette Deck Media

As per the !upstarter m.o., this review is rolling in a little on the late side. I’ll go ahead and blame the holidays. At any rate, here is some manner of review.

Behold Suck Kuts (No seriously behold that cover; chick-son-of-bitchin-magnet says I.) the new release from the dynamic duo of Kyle Stembaugh and Jon Olson, heretofore known as Bust. Suck Kuts flings forth with 10 (suck) cuts of punk bombast at the fever pitch that only garages and their related ilk can generally thrust forth.

The diddys are short and sweet and laden with the disenchantment of boredom and life of better laid plans. As I alluded to above, the sound is classic “garage” punk rock, raw and gritty. You know the sound I’m talking about. A band on a mission. A band without 80 brazillion dollars in studio gear and engineering. Don’t get me wrong, I like the occasional ultra-polish, but I believe a band is best heard in the raw and Suck Kuts is done the way I prefer.

For the vinyl aficionados out there, Suck Kuts is carved onto white vinyl and includes a mp3 download code for the kiddies. The liner assures me that Bust would like to thank “Cool Bands, Cool Dudes, and Cool Zunes”, so all you Microsoft mp3 players out there that fit some of that bill, cheers. Oh, and rumor has it that if you purchase the vinyl, “You also have a 1 in 500th chance in finding Matt Skiba’s cell phone number scribbled inside.”

Bottom line: 10 tracks of duo-istic punk rock served old school on white vinyl

Tracks:
1. The Whinery (Merlot Blow)
2. Who Wants to Fuck Bill Rogers?
3. Pear At Heart
4. High on Life, Drunk off Mouthwash
5. Push Ups
6. That Don’t Impressuh Me Much
7. Talk Nerdy To Me
8. First Bench
9. Unsmooth Moments
10. Sascrotch

For more info: www.bustbustbust.com/

!upstarter Top 10 Reviews of 2010

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When it gets to be this time of year, I, along with just about everyone else, reflect back on what has transpired during the year. Based on those particular musings, I’m pleased to report that !upstarter posted 42 reviews of both musical and literary works in 2010. (I may be able to squeeze in a few more if time allows)

Out of those 42 reviews, I’ve chosen the top ten of what I think were the stand-out releases/reviews of the years. Bear in mind that this is my opinion, so if you disagree, well, them’s the breaks.

With that, I humbly give you the !upstarter Top 10 reviews of 2010:

10: The Decay – This Months Rent

9: The Menzingers – Chamberlain Waits

8: The Kings of Nuthin’ – Old Habits Die Hard

7: Mad Sin – Burn and Rise

6: Hounds & Harlots – Demo

5: The Hollowpoints – Old Haunts on the Horizon

4: Street Dogs

3: The Singularity – A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Drunkenness

2: Ubermanoeuvre – Burn This

1: Mall’d To Death – Can’t Make A Living

Cheers,
Jerry Actually

War Dogs of the Pacific – Publish or Perish

I’m listening to War Dogs of the Pacific right now. Don’t be fooled peoples. They are totally from Kalamazoo. You know, that place where Elvis would be dead at right now, if he were still alive. Geography notwithstanding, they also happen to be a fastish, sing-yellin’ kinda rock and roll band. Some may want to call them punk. I won’t disagree, but I don’t think there is that much need to pigeonhole. Ok, if I must, they are punk.

At any rate, Publish or Perish holds nine tracks or so of punk rock, intriguingly laced with a diverse range of musical deviations. Honestly it is refreshing. I get a bit of a Replacements feeling, or perhaps less specifically, a felling of the energy of the early alternative movement combined with a more modern punk sound.

The disc hovers around the half hour mark and is a good introduction into the fresh rock sounds coming outta Kalamazoo, MI. So if you’re curious, you can check ’em out here: www.myspace.com/wardogsofthepacific

-Jerry Actually

The Spoilers – Loaded to the Gunwales

[rating:3:5]

Here’s a fun little EP. Punkish yet poppy; assuming but not precocious. Ok probably a lame little lead in. I’m ok with that. I feel the way I said.

The Spoilers have nice rock chops and the songs are catchy and danceable. I have said in the past that I’m not a big fan of female fronted rock, but I think The Spoilers make it work. There is no obvious attempt to force things into place that need not be there (vocally). On the other hand, I think that some of the guitar work seems a bit show-boaty and may be unnecessary, but hey that’s just me. I’m pretty sure the world knows that I’m anti solo.

What it all boils down to is a pretty catchy punk rock EP with a lot of rock edge. I was going to go into a big thing about how its hard to not draw comparisons and things like that, but here’s the truth: I like this EP. I would listen to more.

As a bonus, I think the cover on the end is likely the anthem to kick ass drunks everywhere, and damn well done!

–Jerry Actually

Mrs Skanotto – The Long Dark Road

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Well folks, I am sonofabitchin impressed. I wrote something; someone actually read it; new audio shows up in the mail. (Specifically I said that I miss ska. Less specifically, I think I screamed it into the night sky.). So here’s what’s shakin’ bacon. I’m listening to the new release, The Long Dark Road by Rochester’s own Mrs Skanotto.

Admittedly, I am not familiar with Mrs. Skanotto. I feel a bit like I have been missing out, this being their 5th release and all. Apparently the Continental Divide does more that determine where water ends up. However, now that I’m in the know, so to speak, I’m digging the new grooves.

The Long Dark Road is a full on New England (maybe NE would be more accurate) 3rd wave ska CD. The disc delivers on 12 tracks of soulful down beat horn dripping ska. Seriously, what can you not like about music that elevates the mind and soul and makes you want to skank to boot.

The more I listen to this CD, the more it makes me think that I’ve heard this band before. On some comps maybe? For lack of any official remembrance, I’ll try to liken the sound to something I’m more familiar with. I’m thinking that an artful blend of Spring Heeled Jack (USA) and Deals Gone Bad (albeit with less Piratude) would be a reasonable assumption.

So here is the big breakdown. The Long Dark Road delivers really solid ska. The content ranges from love and longing to pompous posturing to camp to the dark depths of suicide. Despite the darkness the disc stays on the lighter side musically and keeps you dancing throughout. Oh, and did I mention horns? Honestly, the horns bring it!

-Jerry Actually

For fans of: Spring Heeled Jack, Deals Gone Bad, Toasters, Ska

Track Listing:

1. The Other Man
2. Girlfriend
3. Long Dark Road
4. Smashed Against the Wall
5. Ordinary Girl
6. Girl Come Back
7. Self-Appointed King
8. Get Off the Fence
9. Time to Play
10. Mainstream
11. Finally Happy
12. The 86th Floor