It’s hard to imagine that the Tokyo Dragons, in their brief, two-album career, could have influenced anybody, but here come fellow UK’ers Black Spiders, swingin’ their hot nuts and givin’ me the fear like the Dragons used to do. Of course, it might make more sense to compare the Spiders’ explosive, hi-top arena rock to bands like KISS, AC/DC, and Motörhead (all of whom the band have referenced in their music by way of lyrics or cover songs), and I wouldn’t be surprised to find out there’s a Soundgarden, Circus of Power, and Four Horsemen freak in their ranks too, but you know what I’m getting at here: this is music for keg parties, biker rallies, or any event where a hot tub and cocaine are present. Sons of the North is the band’s first full-length after a steady diet of EPs for the last two plus years (The St. Peter EP, Cinco Hombres [Diez Cojones], and No Goats in the Omen) and thumps its chest so loud and proud it bruises the heart deep inside. Old fans of the band will notice some familiar bite in the previously released songs “Stay Down,” “Just Like a Woman,” and “St. Peter”, but the way the album seamlessly weaves eye-lined sleaze rock excitement (“KISS Tried to Kill Me,” “Easy Peasy,” “What Good’s a Rock Without a Roll?”) with bearded stoner rock bullying (“Blood of the Kings,” “Man’s Ruin,” “Si, El Diablo”) is a mouthful of deliciously bloody meat you’ll want to feast on for a long time to come. Pull this one out at the next hot tub biker keg party rally you attend and you’ll find yourself fighting and fucking the night away, guaranteed.
Check out the video for “Just Like a Woman” from Sons of the North (even though this video was shot when they released the song on No Goats in the Omen)!
The Erotics Today the Devil, Tomorrow the World
Trash Pit Records
The Erotics have been an underground sleaze rock institution for many years now, 21st century sons-of-bitches born to destroy, rock n’ roll killing machines, cartoon characters drawn from the greasy strands of Satan’s semen, whose one constant is their gutter-bound genius, the Albany river rat himself, Mike Trash. You won’t find Trash’s name on any mainstream best-of lists, but the fact of the matter is he’s written some of the motliest riffs this side of Shout at the Devil and takes Alice Cooper’s venomous snarl to corrosive new lows. Trash also refuses to shy away from the misogynistic mind frame that ruled the hair metal days, choosing to pepper his lyrics with objective, offensive material and seething innuendo; he did it for six albums previous to this one, and he’s doing it again on Today the Devil, Tomorrow the World (dropping on Hallowe’en, natch), which also happens to showcase the appropriately evil themes of she-devils, homicidal delinquency, and suicidal tendencies. As for the music, it might just be some of the band’s best since 2003′s All That Glitters is Dead, every song here a snarky cock rock hell-raiser. The best part is that the album actually finishes stronger than it starts, flying into maximum overdrive on “Anything” before blasting into arena pleasers “Wrapped Around Your Neck” and “Think I Wanna Die Tonight,” then closing with the AC/DC meets Slash Puppet scorcher “Hogtied & Waiting” and the loud ballad “I Feel Nothing.” Mike Trash and The Erotics do it again, but that’s really no surprise, is it?
Listen to “Hogtied & Waiting” from Today the Devil, Tomorrow the World!
High Watt Crucifixers High Watt Crucifixers
Self-Released
Texas neck breakers, the High Watt Crucifixers, take the nut up or shut up approach to layin’ down road burnin’ sleaze rock songs, which means their self-titled debut sounds like something you’d want blastin’ away while you’re getting your cock tattooed in a truck stop restroom by a lot lizard with a loose moose knuckle. It’s a greasy good time, is what I’m really getting at here, and like all ragged riff merchants, their degenerate roots can be traced all the way back to AC/DC, but they throw in enough speed, fuzz, and punk to call to mind bands like Zeke, The Divine Brown, and the Riverboat Gamblers. Now, High Watt aren’t selling me anything I don’t already own with songs like “Easy Action,” “You Want It,” “Sell Your Soul,” or “Rock N Roll Salvation,” but I’ve yet to hear a sleazy scorcher in all my bearded years with one of those familiar titles that’s even come close to letting me down. Same goes here as each one of ‘em feeds my demon and blasts me with a heavy dose of hot evil action, like I’m French kissing a blow torch. And that, brothers and sisters, is totally bad-ass.
Listen to “Easy Action” from High Watt Crucifixers!
Black Spiders
The Erotics
High Watt Crucifixers