The Revolvers- End of Apathy (People Like You)

Germanic flash rockers the Revolvers are one of the greatest rock and roll bands in the world. The fact that they’re not referred to as such by everyone within earshot of ‘em confounds me. I mean, these songs are finely constructed works of low-brow art, filled with soaring guitars and perfect hooks and dead-on rock idol lyrics, each one more memorable than the one before. I am, quite frankly, in awe of their songwriting prowess. Of course, even reckless genius has it’s roots in glories past, and the Revolvers pay homage to their heroes in every note. The heart-felt, affecting “No Clash Reunion” is the most overt, of course, but you can hear it all- the speedrush of the Ramones, the thigh-highed swagger of the Dolls, the snarl of the Pistols, the pop metal sheen of Hanoi Rocks- throughout “End of Apathy”. Still, they never sound like copycats, even when they really are swiping riffs; this is a band that knows how use the best and throw away the rest, and look like brave new pioneers while doing it. Overall, this one’s more polished than last year’s stellar “A Tribute to Cliches” and sounds, more than anything else, like a punked-out KISS- ’75 KISS, of course, but there’s a definite smeared greasepaint vibe here, and it works perfectly, because if there’s one thing Ace and the boys were good at, it was larger than life rock and roll anthems, and this album is crawling with them. Ironically, the most anthemic of ‘em all is “Idiots and Idols”, a song who’s opening line is “I don’t wanna be a hero”. Sorry, Revolvers, but it’s a little too late for that. Anyway, it’s killer call-and-response glitter-chug full of melody and energy, and it just rocks like crazy. Elsewhere, “First Rules to Read a Good Book” is a sprawling, acid guitar epic of 70’s arena rock proportions, somewhere between Foghat and the Backyard Babies; “Narrowminded But Ain’t Got a Clue” is a biting rant set to a blissfully poppy punk n’ roll rhythm, “Lucy in Hell With Chains” is all devastation and heartbreak set to fiery action rock, and the awesome closer “Real Life Horrorshow” is a pain-strewn punk cruncher with a searing guitar solo and some seriously snarly lyrics. The whole thing is just one upper-cut after another, though, and you really can’t miss with this one. Another classic from the mighty Revolvers. Don’t miss it.