Demos

Armstrong - S/T
Armstrongrocks@aol.com

Whatever you do, don't get these German riff tyrants confused with the pseudo-Christian dixie punks, ok? That could only lead to trouble. This Armstrong comes from a little burg called Kiel. Significantly, that's just how Germans pronounce "Kill" when they're drunk, so it's perfect. This 4 songer is a wallop of heavy ass, stoner-fried dust rawk. Not exactly uncharted territory, but Armstrong throw a few greasy monkey wrenches into the works, like the 'wacka wacka' porno guitar licks in "Solar Fire". Matter of fact, the whole song is a monster, a mountain metal epic of dirt luck and bad vibes. Closer "Into the Whale" is another highlight, driven by a slightly creepy acoustic verse, leading up to a Viking power ballad chorus and some rippin' Thin Lizzy boogie. Plus, it's about getting eaten by a whale, which is cool. The Kyuss noodling on the first two tracks I could do without, but they literally got better as they went along, and I just played "Into the Whale" for the third time in a row, which must mean that I like them. Which means you will, too. 

Bad Dog Boogie - Motorsonic R'N'R
www.baddogboogie.com

I love Italian rock and roll. It's always passionate and slightly crazy, even when it's not trying to be, and they always throw in at least one Ratt riff, even the punk bands. Actually, Bad Dog Boogie come screaming out of the gate riding on a KISS lick ("Detroit Rock City" drives opener "Inner Voice"), but that's close enough. "Motorsonic" contains 4 liquor-loaded originals that span the belt buckle gamut from redneck n' roll cock rockers like "Loaded Guns and Nasty Habits" to Swede-speed chug fests like the road ripper "Highway of Soul", and they exit stage left like so many of us do, with an over-amped cover of "Kick Out the Jams". Devil Rod (for that is his name) has a classic sleaze metal throat, and the cat musta been studying old chuck Berry videos or something, 'cuz the usually heavy Italo-accent is nowhere to be found. He could order complicated drinks and not have to repeat himself, as long as he was singing. Rod and the Bad Dogs are a fine new addition to the Euro-crotch rawk scene. Let the strutters strut, I say. 

Damn 13 - Riot Rock 666
www.damn13.com

3 song sampler from a throttle gripping pack of wild dogs from Toronto, which is quickly becoming a new hotbed for scorch rock. These cats know exactly what the fuck is going on. Rife with nods to everyone from Zodiac Mindwarp to the Backyard Babies to the Supersuckers, these songs are all fully ablaze with power, fury, and yeah, sleaze. Righteous. Something tells me that Damn 13 started this mission with muddier boots, because they're heavier than you'd expect, like a seriously raunchy Pantera, or something, so grease up those neck muscles, 'cuz there's gonna be some head banging going on. I used to really miss New American Shame. Now I don't have to, because Damn 13 are picking up right where they left off, with rock so hard it can crack concrete. So, where's the fuckin' album?

Descent Into Madness - S/T
www.descentintomadness.com

Alright, so we've got progressive, keyboard laden, neo-goth metal on our hands- guess where Descent Into Madness are from. Estonia? Germany? Sweden? Try Houston, baby. The one in Texas, even. . A couple of the tracks speed up to a healthy, proto-power metal gallop that brings latter day Maiden to mind, but for the most part, DIM's sound lurks somewhere between Queensryche and Type O Negative. If epic sweeps of deadly serious and technically flawless pomp metal is yr bag, well then feast away, pilgrim. 

Pink Swords - Train Wreck
www.pinkswords.com

Sex obsessed and raised in Texas, Austin trash talkers and rockers Pink Swords lay down 6 pussy hunting slop punk tracks here. At times they sound kinda like a Murder city version of the Dead Boys, and sometimes like the Lanternjack, minus the metal licks, but mostly they sound like they're gonna fall over any second, and call it a night on the tiles. Which was punk's original intention, if you remember. 

Superchrist - Breaking Bones
(self-released) www.rockisdead.com

Industrial shoegazer? Acid alternative? Warm wave? Glamtronica? Hard to say exactly what the curiously monickered Superchirst are up to, but suffice to say that if Brian Eno's glitter rock phase came at the cusp of Trent Reznor's ascent, and not 1972, this is pretty much what he'd be up to. Weirdly cool twitching from Helsinki, a weirdly cool place to begin with. 

Nick Vivid - S/T
www.nickvivid.com

Man, this is a surprise. From out of nowhere, I get this xeroxed demo, and it knocks me right the fuck out. Trashy pop metal and NYC slither collide in an all night party that happily brings to mind the Trash Brats, American Heartbreak, and Wrathchild. Sure, it's got an 80's vibe, but so do I. I don't know fuck-all about these cats, but I plan to find out, post haste. If I was Nick Vivid, I'd press this on pink vinyl, load up the confetti cannon, and kick start the snakeskin revival early. Lord knows, we could use it.