Sunday, June 21, 2015

The Minestompers "The Minestompers"

(Crazy Love Records 2015)

Minestomp
Mama's Clit
Invasion
Toxic Avenger
Drive By Cumshot
Possessed To Skate
Surfride To Hell
Bukkake Blues
Demon Twist
Leprechaun Boogie
Place To Go
Bad Dreams
Stomp Around The Swamp
Tohuwabohu

The older I get I'm not as easily impressed as I was as a nubile teenager. This can go for just about anything. Girls, films, food, life..music. This is especially true in my chosen genre. Good old psychobilly where a lot of bands just sound the same...or like someone else. 90% of the time there's no trademark sound which becomes instantly identifiable in a way that separates them from their stable mates. For example, you'd know straight away if it was Demented Are Go, The Quakes, Nekromantix, Torment etc you were listening to even if you didn't have access to the album sleeve. Enter Köln's Minestompers and their inaugural airing on Crazy Love Records. Psychobilly naysayers of the "no slap bass, no billy" variety are in for a reality check. This 100% psychobilly with *gasp* bass guitar! I love slap bass, but it's not the be-all and end-all if the band are fucking good. The Minestompers are fucking great! The trademark sound is coming in spades from vocalist Dave. The guy sounds like a demented Charlie Feathers hiccuping all over the place. There's a great strep throat tone to it too. Those two elements in the vocals are my favourite elements and are all too rare. There are only a handful of vocalists who can pull it off and Dave is right up there at the top. I've had this album for a while now and it gets blasted out regularly. Sometimes you make a mental note of standout albums. You know the way they just get ingrained in your psyche? This is one of those gems. An excellent début release which is all anti-wholesome psychobilly of the towering over their opposition variety.

The O'Prez



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The Goddamn Gallows "7 Devils"

(Crazy Love Records 2015)

Ragz And Bones
7 Devils
47 Crosses
The End Of The World
Rotting Away
Stew Hogg
Sidewalk Slammer
Y'All Motherfuckers Need Jesus
Instant Major Felony
Malefactor March
Nature Of The Beast
Serafino
Waiting Around To Die
Nowhere Left To Roam
Broken Man
Raise The Moon
It All Goes Away
This a reissue of the US 2011 release on Farmageddon Records  now out in all its splendour on Germany's Crazy Love Records. There's a carnival feel running throughout the album; albeit an evil carnival. Think Ray Bradbury's novel Something Wicked This Way Comes and you'll get the idea. However, when they're not being the creepy gutterbilly bastards that we all know and love, this album features one of my favourite Gallows ditties "Nature Of The Beast". This is a straight-up folk ballad with some fine yodelling. For the most part though, this a big blend of hillbilly, cowpunk, bluegrass, folk, rockabilly, with that underworld vocal styling that makes for some very uncomfortable listening...but that's a good thing. This isn't your "nice" version of American roots music. The lads are the personification of every reason you wouldn't want to go in to the swamps alone in Louisiana. But fuck me, can they play their respective instruments or what? All the ingredients for a pissed-up stomp are adroitly executed. The boys are the real deal and no mistake.

The O'Prez





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Saturday, June 20, 2015

The Rocket Beats "Human Tornado"

(Crazy Love Records 2015)

Rocket Alert Theme
Mystery Man
Evil In My Veins
Human Tornado
Dinosaur Rock
Electrical
Brown Fury
Madhouse
Let's Shout Again
Be-Bop-A-Lula (Rocket Version)
Grave Party

My nipples were plain to be seen poking out through my shirt whilst listening to this album, the second outing from Russia's Rocket Beats. Russia has produced some top class bands over the years and The Rocket Beats maintain that high standard. Evil, sci-fi themed psychobilly sounds are order of the day here. But what sets them apart from the usual psychobilly brigade is the inclusion of quality female backing vocals (and lead vocals on one track). Speaking of which, she's an excellent slap bassist too! They're reminiscent of that wave of bands that came from Europe in the mid 1980s. Bands like Les Crabs, The Scallywags, The Scannerz...that kinda thing. The kinda thing I absolutely love. Fuck knows how such an underground scene can still produce bands like this, putting their own stamp on things with that classic, minimalist ensemble of guitar, drums and slap bass. It's testament to the talent that exists within the realms of psychobilly's self-contained world I suppose. It will never be for mass consumption. Within music's broad spectrum of genres and styles, psychobilly has to be thee most ignored one of all. Or the most misunderstood. Yet, it has survived on its own merits while being blacklisted by the "music press". But what appears to be the music industry's pet hate, is our subcultural secret which sticks two fingers up at them triumphantly. So yes, another quality release from Crazy Love Records (Guido really has an ear for quality) with this, the sophomore album from The Rocket Beats. Equal parts psycho and billy with a splash of the aforementioned sci-fi for good measure. Now to put a warm spoon on my nipples. It's getting embarrassing.  

The O'Prez










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Tuesday, June 9, 2015

The Quaranteds "World Wide Quarantine"

(Crazy Love Records 2015)

Johnny's A Commie
Hate
Exotic Girls
Ride This Torpedo
King Of The Night
Wench
White Wedding

Holy Jaysus this 7 dittied silver platter gave me a right kick in the bollix and no mistake! Right from the get-go the clean guitar and machine gun slap bass grabbed me by the scrote and refused to let go. I had no pre-conceived notions before listening to this, the second outing from LA's The Quaranteds. They've been around a while and my ex-girlfriend was always singing their praises (she knows em personally....see? I have worldwide connections...what a cosmopolitan guy) but all she ever showed me was dodgy quality videos she recorded on her phone so I never really bothered me arse checking them out further. WHAT A GOBSHITE! The boys are brilliant! 5 originals and 2 covers (Ride This Torpedo features guest vocals from that dapper bastard Gator McMurder of Bea Pickles/Coffin Draggers fame) and it's all in-your-face psychobilly of the tough guy variety. In its essence, psychobilly is a more ballsy, aggressive, punch in the throat version of rockabilly and this is exactly what the lads have captured here. I fucking love it! It reminds me of when I was 15 and heard The Guana Batz for the first time (having grown tired of the sugar coated rockabilly dross that was doing the rounds at the time) and thinking to myself "fuck sake, THIS is what I've been looking for". It's psychobilly like it used to be in its heyday over this side of the pond. Now it appears that heyday has moved Stateside. The boys do it right. Straight-up psychobilly with no pretentiousness. 
The O'Prez











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