Demos
- November, '03 (part 2)
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Bowlscraper
3 songs
website
Super badass Detroit stoner-sleaze metal that’s so testosterone-enraged
that it sounds like a doped-to-the-tits Slayer half the time. These three
tracks are a teaser for Bowlscraper’s upcoming full-length “Red Hair
Revolution”, and if these are any indication (and they are, otherwise what
the fuck are we doing here?), it’s gonna be a feral, chest thumping, metal
thrashing beast. “Higher than You” is all redneck speed metal and death n’
roll bellowing and manly claims of shameless self-indulgence, and at one
point, they say (scream, whatever), “Travel down this broken highway”, and
as we all know, anybody that uses “Broken highway” means BUSINESS, Jack.
The apocalyptic “Right in Front” sounds like Pantera and COC setting each
other’s vans on fire, and “All the Same” is rip-snorting biker metal with
plenty of well-placed “Motherfuckers” to get the point across. I'm not
sure whether Bowlscraper are inventing a whole new genre here
(Death Dope?) or just desecrating standard conventions so thoroughly that
it just sounds like a wild new breed of rocker. At any rate, I have been
to Detroit, brothers and sisters, and lemme tell ya, this is exactly
what a
band from Murder City should sound like- evil and crazy. Can’t wait to see
what happens next.
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Female Skulls - Too Tough to Die
Tonight
4 songs
website
Unless they’ve got a collection of ‘em buried under their floorboards,
none of the boys in the band actually possess any Female Skulls, but I
don’t name them, baby, I just rock out to them. These Swede sleazedealers
have it down supertight and entirely all right, and this 4 track lick and
tickle is one savage display of raw, sexy power. “Too Tough to Die
Tonight” is a riot-ready motorrock anthem fulla sleaze metal licks and
defiant yelps, and it all but punches it’s way right outta the speakers
and through the front door. “Identity” is a total flametrick of
Hellacopters swagger and call-and-response gang vox . “Stay B. Goode” is a
slinky cock n’ roller with sleazy rock star vocals and a big pop chorus,
and “Punk Rock Zombies” is a scream-along party crasher. And good lord, do
they all rock like crazy. I own the joint, so I can crank this fucker as
loud as I want, but I swear, ten just ain’t volume enough for the Female Skulls.
If I had a megaphone to play this through, I’d really show the
neighborhood what rock n’ roll is all about. Forget ‘recommended’ – the
Female Skulls are mandatory listening, plain and simple. Unless you’re a
pussy, or something.
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7 tracks
website
Swedish hard rock sensations
Nasty Kixx return with another round of demo
tracks, and although I think these cats are more than good enough for one
of their numerous local hipster labels to pick ‘em up buy them all new
leather pants, the Kixx ain’t about lying around on ratty couches and
waitin’ for the Big Move – they’d rather go chasing it themselves. So,
here we go. The signature NK sound is bright, catchy pop dirtied up and
rocked out with all the standard sleaze n’ roll conventions, but the
emotionally charged vox and their knack for a great chorus and tasty lick
knock ‘em into a whole new stratosphere. Classy sleaze? I dunno man,
something like that.“The Clown” is a dark, garage rocking testimonial reminiscent of a stripped-down, Love-era Cult, with killer “winning is for losers” lyrics. “Shame” rides a gigantic riff, and “Gotta Get Out” has a panicky punk crunch. “Under the Influence” rocks it like it talks it with slurry vox and chiming Hanoi Rocks guitars, and “It’s Alright Now” is fulla macho garage rock riffs and testifying vocals. The new tracks are rounded out with a raucous take on the New York Dolls’ “Personality Crisis”. Nasty Kixx just don’t have it ‘em to play it as ramshackle and fall-down drunk as the Dolls did, so they just construct a Phil Spector-ish wall of sound, and play it like a party anthem. Righteous. Oh yeah, and this also contains a video for “Bastard Song” the affecting, melancholic dark pop stand-out on Nasty Kixx’ last round of demo tracks. I can hear it just fine, but I dunno how to make the video play in my PC. What am I, stupid? Maybe. Sometimes. Anyway, I’m sure it’s boss. Nasty Kixx are quietly becoming one of the coolest rock n’ roll bands in Sweden – and, obviously, that’s saying something. Check 'em out, willya?
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7 songs
website
Remember
Steelheart? No? I bet yr big sister does, man. Based in the
unlikely, un-rock city of Hartford, Connecticut, Steelheart were a power
ballad-heavy glam metal band that showed up to blow up about 6 months
too late to get their spandex in the Rock n’ roll Hall of Fame. Their
debut album (Self titled, MCA) hit the shelves in 1991, at exactly the
time when Kurt Cobain was killing the hairspray hordes off forever. Steelheart actually kept playing and recording until 2000, but you can
only court the favor of 300 “AOR” holdouts in Germany or wherever for so
long before the gig is up. Dunno where the rest o’ SH are, but drummer
John Fowler has re-emerged in Boston with a new band, the Voodoo Jets.
They sound nothing remotely like you’d imagine a band with a name like
“Voodoo Jets” would – no skullface scare-abilly, no gutter-glitter punk
– but baby, they got a very unique thing goin’ on anyway. Somewhere
betwixt Oasis, latter-day Mott the Hoople, and Spinal Tap, the
VJ’s
sound is heavy on the melody and bombast, but they’ve chucked the metal
chug for powerpop riffs and the teenage lust anthems for odes to the
Beatles. It is entirely from outer space, and yet…well, the songs are
just fuckin’ great. Killer hooks and stellar musicianship abound on
tracks like “All I Ever Wanted (Was to see the Beatles)” and “Spaceman”,
and in a different place and time, I could see this fitting snugly
between “Live at Budokon” and “Candy O”. I dunno how the Voodoo Jets are
gonna pull this arena pop stuff off in a screamo n’ White Stripes world,
but hey, it’s all a big ol’ cycle, ya know. The 80’s could come back any
second now. I hope so. I miss the miniskirts. ________________________________________________________
-Sleazegrinder