(Jens)

Dina - Worth The Switch CD (JSNTGM)
Emopunk has never been my kinda music and this release didn't change my mind. Samiam style melodic punkrock meets Fugazi could be a way of describing Dina's sound. I loved the label's Z/28 "Wrecks Of The Highway" album but this sadly doesn't do anything for me. It's just, well, way too deep and optimistic for an ol' crusty drunken ignorant rock'n'roller like me. www.dinarock.cjb.net

(Jens)

Electric Turn to Me CD Ep (No Quarter Records 2003)
This is a NYC based band with members of the Mars Volta (Drums), Ex- Laddio Bolocko and Imaginary Numbers members and complemented by German vocalist Silke. The EP has 4 new tracks and is the bands third release. The music is very 60’s inspired and strange. First Crimes starts the CD and is quite frantic to start before the band goes into a very 60’s sounding track, mostly due to the organ playing, which is fantastic. Silke has a very special voice but it blends in well with the feel of the music. Quite a crazy song. Watch out for the Witch has a distorted vocal and is based on a heavy bass line and is quite psychedelic with the fuzzed out song and phased organ. Nightvision is the longest track at 5½ minutes and the most accessible of the songs on the EP. This is sort of a weird pop tune. It could be in a David Lynch film! Ride the Wave closes the CD and is very 60’s inspired but the drumming is more intense. Really excellent stuff. www.noquarter.net www.electricturntome.com

(Scott)

The Gak Omek- Alien Eye (Blue Cube Music 2003)
The band is headed by guitarist Robert Burger. He also plays guitar synthesizer and is backed by Johnny Flambe on bass and dick digital on robodrums. It is quite excellent electronic progressive space rock. Quite a cool variety of material on this CD with great playing by all involved. It appears his family helps out with the artwork. The CD opens with some really spacey sounds before the guitars kick in on Black Holes Colliding. This song creates a very cool dark, scary mood before lightening up. Excellent stuff. The program drums are really quite good. I usually can’t stand programmed drums on this type of music and never understand why they don’t have a real drummer. Here comes the Aluminum man, slowly takes us out into space and the beautiful guitar slowly builds up as the song gets more and more intense. Baby gotta vicegrip has a really great riff and repeated sample (“Oh Yeah!”). This is the only song on the CD I would really consider heavy. Dancing Bologna, perhaps a tribute to the Italian prog scene of the 70s? Robotomy features the guest synth player Dave Cashin and some nice percussion. The CD ends with the Squiggly Parameter and has some nice guitar trumpet trade offs. If you like projects like Dave Russell then check this out for sure. Excellent stuff. www.thegakomek.com

(Scott)

I Decline- The Ides of Riffdom (BRR004)
Remember Helmet? Remember Kyuss? Remember bands that know how to find a good melody and combine it with some pounding ferocious riffs? Listen to I Decline, a heavy grooving band from Chicago. I really like the way the first several songs all run together as one song. CD even includes a pretty cool bass solo track and a 1 minute drum solo! I remember the days when a hell of a lot of the 70’s hard rock albums had short drum solos. No one does that now days!
The CD opens with a serious crescendo, as it was the last song of the concert and then they blast into Street Scene, which features some cool Thin Lizzy like harmony guitars, melodic vocals and also some serious pounding riffs. This song goes straight into the Raze Lazarus track, a solid melodic rocker. Yeah You Did is a really stoner groove rocker of a serious sort. After a one minute drum solo the band go into Skeleton Dance, a slow heavy as mud track
Stoner rock fans will really enjoy this one. The more I hear it the more I dig it! It is quite funny how in the inlay case the band has two quotes from previous press reviews and both are quite negative and don’t really care for the band. The band must have a sense of humour! www.idecline.tv i_decline@hotmail.com

(Scott)

Kidnappers - Telephone Calls and Ransom Notes LP (Alien Snatch)
Former members of the great Teenage Rockers kick more old school punk rock butt with the same Supercharger/Rip-Offs/Havenots style rock’n’roll inspired rock’n’roll. This is slightly harder and tighter and even more catchy. Reminds me a bit of fellow German legends the Pack and also with a healthy dose of the Kids thrown in for good youthful ambience and overall coolness. Includes covers of “Teenage Letter” and Loli & the Chones’ “Everybody Hates Me” so you know the heart is in the right place (and the brain probably fried). Shouted out vocals and super cool sound and a fucken cool cover - sadly scarred by a way too big Alien Snatch logo that doesn’t fit the style at all. A damn shame! But that’s about all I can find wrong with this record. Catchy as Hell and rocking like a motherfucker. Pitch black padded inner sleeve a good quality production throughout I seriously doubt you’ll find better value for you hard-earned dole than this: €9.50 from the German mail-orders! Wow!

(SN)

Little Killers - st CD (Crypt)
It’s been 5 years since Crypt released a new band but it has been well worth the wait. Not that I’ve been missing new Crypt bands that much since the Teenage Shutdown series has been totally amazing. Said that I wouldn’t have gone through this miserable life without this total mother of a rock’n’roll blowout! It’s fucking amazing. Period! Like all the good stuff from New York: Testors, Dead Boys, Real Kids, the Dolls and the Heartbreakers all rolled up in one primitive ball of solid rock’n’roll action. Like early Cowgirls and a bit of Saints and Devil Dogs and every other good punk rock outfit you can think of. Lead singer and guitarist Andy sounds a bit like a honky version of Mick Collins and he laid-back, almost arrogant vocals compliment the cool riffs, Sara’s groovy bass line and the primal drum beat from Kari. Some occasional harp and girlie chorus ads to the fun and there really is little here to complain about. If it had been a double LP with 26 songs instead it would’ve been perfect. No really, this is hit after hit and it’s nice to announce that Warren and company are back delivering the goods and if this is totally on par with the level of quality we’ve all come to expect from them. Hooray for that! European tour is planned for April/May 2004.Hooray for that as well!! www.cryptrecords.com

(SN)

Loose - RockTheFuckOn! CD (Punch Records)
Italian combo Loose delivers a neat tasty dish of Radio Birdman-like garage rock'n'roll. Hooks, melody and attitude go hand in hand with an excellent display of craftmanship. "RockTheFuckOn!" could easily has been recorded several decades ago in Detroit or Australia and I wouldn't have noticed. Songs like "Son Of Dirt", "A-OK" and "Something Good" (great organ!) are killer tracks and a valid proof of the fuzzpunk legacy will never die. I could live without another bloody version of "Kick Out The Jams" though. All in all a fine hardrockin' release with a lotta guts'n'heart. Great "Raging Bull" album cover by the way. www.loose-rock.com

(Jens)

Angie Pepper - Res Ipsa Loquitor CD (Career)
Fairly boring Blondie like stuff from the wife of former Birdman Deniz Tek (who should know better). Has an irritating early 80s sound to it with too much keyboard and pop sound on the drums. Miss Pepper’s voice is pretty good, but this I way too nice and poppy in all the wrong ways. She was in the Passengers in the late 70s and had her own Angie Pepper Band with Tek on guitar in the early 80s and they were probably better. Best song is the cover of Lipstick Killers’ “Hindu Gods of Love” which a fucking killer. Straight in your face old school aussie punk rock action. Sadly it’s followed by a strange piece of crap featuring slick saxophone and even something that sounds like rap and way too much mixing and studio tricks and shit. Tek plays some of the best rock guitar ever so I wish he would just do that instead of getting involved with stuff like this. www.careerrecords.com

(SN)

Post Stardom Depression - "Ordinary Miracles" CD (TheControl Group/King Bee)
Rather sub-par stonerrock, this one, dragged down by tired lyrical imagery, that is way too obvious to ignore - being all "quick like cocaine" and babies turning them into monsters.
"Ordinary Miracles", their debut, is produced by Jack Endino himself and contains some half-succesful attempts at Queens Of The Stone Age-grooviness, but it just doesn't cut it, it
makes me think of work and my studies, when I should be knocking back beers.

(Jon A)

Rag Time Grunge (Hot Pipe Records 2003)
It is really nice that there are people in the world who just make music for themselves and don’t give a fuck if others like it or not, yet they still want you to hear it!!!! This is a project by Birmingham England musician, Andrew Loly. It is extreme low fi including drums made out of boxes. The 6 songs here are quite strange and intriguing. It is not pop, it is not grunge, it is not jazz, and it is not noise rock but some bizarre mixture of all of these things. Some of it delivered in a punk rock manner but the music is more droning and chaotic. This is difficult stuff to describe and quite a special musical journey into Andrews own personal hell called the Birmingham music scene. I guess?? andrewloly@lycos.co.uk

(Scott)

The Rick Ray Band- Out of the Mist of Obscurity (Neurosis Records 2003)
Rick Ray amazes me. I have only heard one other of his CDs and it is quite excellent stuff. This is Rick’s most recent CD and his 27th since 1999. Yes.. that is right, 27 releases since 1999. The man must live and breath music and every musical idea he has must get committed to tape. One would think that the guy would run out of ideas or recycle himself or just plain release some crap. While, I have not heard all 27 releases (I would like to!), the material on this CD is really excellent. Shredding guitars, heartfelt playing and sometimes plain spacey. A little bit of Trower, Frank Marino, but mostly himself is what you get here. Some powerful and perhaps a little bit too religious lyrics on most tracks. He is backed by the excellent clarinet and saxophone playing of Rick Shultz. If you have never heard any of Rick’s CDs, this would be an excellent one to start with. http://groups.msn.com/guitaristrickray

(Scott)

Rocket Science - 7” EP (Voodoo Rhythm)
Australian 4-piece who looks suspiciously like a bunch of Scientists fans. Sadly they don’t sound that way. There are lots of good touches here with theremin, cool singer, raw sound and a loud organ that recalls the halcyon days of Larry and the Lefthanded. They have a dark, psychedelic sound with touches of 60s rock and 70s punk and they do sound very Australian that way. One big problem here however: the songs just don’t rock! They never really swing right and with only 2 songs on each side I’m afraid it still manages to get boring. The press release claims that “fans of The make-up won’t be disappointed” and I can easily believe that cuz they also bore the shit out of me. www.rocketsciencerock.com www.voodoorhythm.com

(SN)

Ruotomieli- Jos ei kruunu mahdu päähän, vuollaan otsaa pois (Mielilevyt MILED2 )
What the hell does the title mean? I have no idea… Infact, the biography and everything in and with the CD is in Finnish, including the vocals! The band is basically a five piece but they have some guests as well. This appears to be the bands 4th release. There is a lot of variety on the 11 tracks on this CD. The CD opens with an acoustic guitar number with some primitive percussion that in the last 20 seconds blasts out with a heavy guitar that really catches you off guard. There are some basic rock songs and mixed in are some quite strange and very interesting songs. I hear influences of some older Finnish bands (Sielun Veljet) as well as groups like Mana Mana and throw in a dose of Neil Young. It is quite moody music and some of the tracks are very droning in a way. The singer has a special voice as many Finnish people do. The more I hear the CD, the more I like it. A lot of variety and some great non-commercial rock. Semi- psychedelic. Lots of stuff on their web page including live videos and music. www.ruotomieli.net/

(Scott)

Screamin' Eric - Freak Show CD (Heptown)
Lorenzo Woodrose called this album 'the best Danish punkrock release ever', and the big guy's statement sure ain't that far from the truth. This combo has gotten faster and faster during the last 12 years, and fortunately the quality of songs has also gotten better. Ralph Rjeily's superraw production suits these raunchy 12 motherfuckers perfectly. Three chords punkrock gettin' the buttfuck treatment by blues-influenced slideguitar truly gives Screamin' Eric a unique sound compared to other Danish r'n'r acts. 30 minutes of pure fuck-you bliss graced with Eric's sublime snotty vocals and sleazy lyrics on top of it all makes "Freak Show" a perfect X-mas gift to any redblooded rock'n'roller. I've heard it a dozen times by now and believe me, "Freak Show" is a fuckin' rock'n'roll classic that'll stand the test of time. Fans of New Bomb Turks, Poison 13, Stooges, and early Black Flag will not be disappointed. Too many bands from the glorious 'Scandinavian Ga ragerock Explosion' of the 90's have become too clean-cut, soft and slick - Screamin' Eric is the ultimate antidote! (see interview + live review elsewhere in this issue) erik.alb@sol.dk

(Jens)

Sick 56 - Recipe For Disaster CD (JSNTGM)
English Oi punk which should appeal to fans of The Business and Exploited. Lotsa social discontent and angst are mixed with catchy gruff sing along choruses. 12 beerdrinkin' anthems of fast streetpunk mayhem, not terrible original but Sick 56 does a pretty good job. These blokes should stay clear of trying to rap though ("Half A Chance"), mixing punk and rap is so 80's, and NOT in a good way. All in all a decent release. www.sick56.org

(Jens)

Zeno Tornado & The Boney Google Brothers - S/T CD (Voodoo Rhythm)
Holy Hillbilly Holocaust! Sensational Swiss BluegrassRockabillyCountryPunk which belongs somewhere between Hank Williams Sr., Meat Purveyors and Supersuckers' C&W tunes. This shit is so fuckin' contagious you won't believe your ears!! Disciples of Bloodshot Records will cherish every second of these 14 tracks. Who needs all that sterile MTV nu-metal crud when you can make such wonderful atmospheric kickass tunes with banjos, fiddles and mandolins?? The album also includes a neat cover of "Highway Man" - RIP Johnny Cash & Waylon Jennings, you'll never be forgotten. Apparently Zeno Tornado previously played in hardcore act B.U.R.P. but got tired of that scene and started giggin' around in bars and pubs with his guitar learning his trade the hard way. And it paid off, BIG TIME! Mucho respect must go to Voodoo Rhythm and Beat-Man, they've truly found a cool niche among European record labels, so keep'em comin'! I'M A BELIEVER, HALLELUJAH!!! www.zenotornado.com

(Jens)

The Untamed : The Big Black Cat/Anus A Go Go/Stop It, Baby! 7"
(International Garbageman)
"The Big Black Cat" is a superb uptempo twangy r'n'r stomper off The Untamed's excellent debut album, "Eerie Stories". According to singer/guitarist Marco felines are ferocious lethal creatures of the night, he also claims the song is inspired by the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. Well, I'm sure the legendary American author would be a crazed Untamed fan if he was around today, didn't he used to smoke a lotta opium? haha. "Anus A Go Go" is a short distorted surf-like instrumental/intro to "Stop It, Baby!", a damn fine cover of the Gravedigger V song. Two great unreleased tracks which makes this single a must for Untamed addicts. I predict 2004 will be the year The Untamed really break through; they've got the tunes, attitude, experience, and showmanship to put Danish rawk'n'roll on the international music map. (see interview elsewhere in this issue)
www.theuntamed.dk www.garbageman.dk

(Jens)

Leslie West- Blues to Die For (Blues Bureau International BB20472)
Leslie West, needs no introduction. The man provided monster guitar riffs and vocals back in the late 60’s and early 70’s with MOUNTAIN. Mountain had a reunion last year but I guess these are songs that Leslie had in his bag. He is backed by Ansley Dunbar on drums and Gunter Nezhoda on bass, Kevin Curry on rhythm guitar and a few guests on Hammond organ. I was quite skeptical about this release as I had one of Leslie’s blues releases from some years back and it really did not capture my attention and it seemed so uninspired. The CD begins with Crawlin Kingsnake and features some nice slide guitar. The production is clean but a bit rougher than some of his previous blues CDs. Boom Boom, an original is next and it has a great foot stomping riff but really lame lyrics. Mean Mistreater (Muddy Waters) and I’m Ready (Willie Dixon) are treated to excellent renditions. Talk to your Daughter is another serious slide guitar outing. Leslie can still play the guitar for sure but the original songs are quite lacking. The covers are by far the best songs on the CD with additional renditions of Don’t start me Talkin’ (not as good as the Rory Gallagher version) and Born under a bad Sign. A pretty enjoyable CD and glad to hear one of the great guitar players of the heavy 70’s period can still rip it up.

(Scott)

V/A - 20 years too soon - A tribute to The Nomads (Wild Kingdom/Kick)
Tribute albums are usually not a very good idea. Lame bands giving “tribute” by playing lame covers of their fave bands….you gotta have more imagination than that. Having said that, The Nomads sure deserve any credit they can get and this compilation at least give them some. Class acts like The Hellacopters and The Dictators are here but it is Sewergrooves version of “Where The Wolf Bane Blooms” and Super Crickets cool version of “My Deadly Game” that takes the cake. But Bob Hund is the coolest act here doing a fucked up live cover of “Five Years Ahead Of My Time” renaming it “Min Lön Kommer Fem År Försent”. Totally hilarious and very,very funny.

(Don K)