This one showed up at Sleazegrinder HQ lookin’ like some kinda vague threat, so I put it on the top of the pile, cuz if there’s one thing I like, it’s battling snakes, imperial or otherwise. There was no cheat-sheet with the CD, no hype, just a bitchin’ black-on-red and snakehead logo and 5 aggressively titled songs. Usually, this is a sign of either ineptness or arrogance. My guess with IBS is that it’s the latter, because as it turns out, the fuckers don’t even need some jive PR hack to invent cartoon superhero jibber jabber about ‘em. Nope, they just fuckin’ SLAY, brother. The ‘Snakes are from Chicago, which makes sense, since their sound has the same edge of 70’s thunderdoom as Chi-town legends Trouble, and they think BIG, too, like Urge Overkill, if UO traded in the power-pop hooks for razor-sharp slashes of arena-sleaze. I dunno if they're being 'conceptual' with all this excessive chain-gang motherfucker throttle rock shit, but just think Crank County Daredevils and like, half of Metallica jamming on Budgie and Soundgarden (longhair version) songs at a biker rally, while a bunch of Tank roadies kick Crystal Pistol to death in the front row. Monstrous. The best song is called “…To War”, and it is surely the only Viking cock-rock motordoom song ever written. So far, anyway. The other 4 are crushers too. One of ‘em’s called “Talk to My Ass” and one’s called “Pastor of Muppets”, so like I said, it might all be an elaborate American ruse, but even if they are goofing, this is still real, live, raw, pick-up-your-teeth-on-the-way-out rock n’ fucking roll, so if you’re in the mood to punch somebody out or break just about any law at all, track this down and crank the bitch first. It’ll make the night in lock-up totally worth it.