Barn Burner Bangers II: Scum of the Earth
Metal Blade
Montreal’s booze-filled, flannel warriors return with their highly anticipated sequel (highly anticipated by me, anyway), Bangers II: Scum of the Earth, and it’s every bit the stoner metal riff-fest its predecessor was. What’s more is, Barn Burner seem to have upped the aggressive ante this time around without sacrificing their sense of party-hard humor, meaning you still get songs with titles like “Dark Side of the Barn,” “Keg Stand and Deliver,” and “Skid Marks the Spot,” but they’re thrown at you heavier and faster than ever before (no doubt due to better production this time around). I ate Bangers up like a plate of of rock n’ roll stew, traces of its slick licks dribbling down my bearded chin, thanks to its deliciously fraternizing nature; an album for bros by bros. Bangers II does not fail in drawing the denim-head scum together again, but the frothy, cursed, thunder-chuck that is now their glorious glue is more raging battle than raging kegger, is more broad sword than clenched fist, and will surely separate allies from enemies. And that’s the beauty of the Barn Burner way — whether killer or thriller, you’re always left bloody and smiling with your friends at the end.
Whispering Wild Stories is the third album from French noisemakers Denizen, who thrive on a rare mix of cowboy freedom and back alley boorishness, meaning they roll out endless amounts of dusty and rowdy stoner riffs but shove ‘em in your face with some hardcore attitude instead of letting you bake in ‘em. While Whispering Wild Stories doesn’t quite contain the brilliant animosity of Cursed, the toothless tomfoolery of Maylene, or the Norwegian death roll of Kvelertak, Denizen are able to harnesses the same kind of bloody-lipped urgency of each of ‘em in some way and throw their own wine-drunk, hot rod funk into it as well. Despite the fact this album is self-released, they still managed to snag Nick Zampiello again to master it at New Alliance East in the good ol’ U.S. of A., which no doubt helped shape its eight-song landscape into the motor-driven sewer-fucker it is. Add some sweet cover art by J. Issac and a cover of Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” and you’ve got an album that’s truly très bien!
Listen to “Casino Royale” from Whispering Wild Stories!
Motherboar The Beast Becomes the Servant
Born of Fire Records
It’s been about five years since their debut, Raising the Death Toll, so when I saw that Motherboar had finally released their sophomore album, The Beast Becomes the Servant, I said to myself, ‘Oh yeah, Motherboar, I forgot about them!’ I’m not sure what took the band so long to finally return to the fold (perhaps drummer Benny Grotto was holed up in his Mad Oak Studios the entire time fulfilling his role as the busiest producer/engineer heavy music has ever known), but I’m so glad the Boston band is back to their brutal ways. I once referred to their debut as the ‘kind of beautiful mess you’d end up with if you spent your summers growing up listening to Motörhead, Clutch, Ironlung, and Wino, kicking chickens, and picking things out of your beard,” and I suppose not much as changed other than the fact that there’s a lot more sludge to the band’s metal than I remember. It’s still awfully mighty, black and frantic, though, and leans heavy on the hardcore, so an updated reference list might include Mastodon, Black Breath, Doomriders, etc., but dig all the slick riffs and salacious solos in amongst the callous, calculated crust; you’ll be convinced these guys are hiding some kind of cock rock codpiece under their extreme, bloody, broken bottle exterior. The Beast Becomes the Servant was a long time coming, but delivers every bit the aggression, anarchy, and acridity you desire. Or I desire, anyway. I’m not sure what you’re into, but if it’s not this, you’re in trouble.
Check out the video for “Croctosquatch” from The Beast Becomes the Servant!
Barn Burner
Denizen
Motherboar