The Deafening-Central Booking

Self-Release/Independent
2013

Allow me to introduce The Deafening. First heard by yours truly on the "Shoot To Thrill"* compilation that came with the December 2013 issue of Classic Rock Magazine (dedicated to the one and only AC/DC!), on which they opened things up rather nicely with the insanely catchy "Shake Down Chinatown", this female-fronted, New York-based four-piece act offers plenty of passion to go along with heaping handfuls of (AC/DC meets Guns N' Roses) blues-infused rock and roll punch! Lead by Lena Hall, and with at least two other releases to their name from the looks of it (two EPs it seems**), the Deafening list their interests as "Sex, Drugs and Rock N' Roll". Nothing wrong with that right? With Burt Rock on guitar providing razor sharp rock riffs and a sweet and nasty rhythm section made up of bassist Dylan Doyle and drummer Mick Harrison the band easily rolls through opening numbers like "Destroyer", "Evil Kiss" and "I'm So Bad" all while keeping their various and undeniable influences (Guns N’ Roses, MC5, Iggy Pop, AC/DC, Kiss, The Rolling Stones, Motörhead, Alice Cooper, Joan Jett, Queen, Black Sabbath, Metallica, Cheap Trick, Skid Row and The Misfits) firmly in check. While this one is primary a bad to the bone, rock and roll circus of an album ("Destroyer", "Evil Kiss", "You Will Remember The Dead", "Shake Down Chinatown", "Central Booking" and "Death Rattle N' Roll") the band does opt to slow it down on the heartfelt "Jessie" and even takes a turn at eighties hair metal with the easy and sleazy "Sexy Like A Suicide". In the end one can't help but appreciate how The Deafening serves up honest-to-goodness, barroom rock and roll without a hint of the cheesiness that has found it's way into today's scene. This New York-based group writes music that is catchy ("Evil Kiss", "Shake Down Chinatown", "Destroyer" and "I’m So Bad") and overflowing with attitude all while possessing more then enough raw sexual appeal on cuts like "Sexy Like A Suicide" and "Twist" (which is like The Donnas meeting Lita Ford for beers and then cruising around hunting down prey!) to take them all the way to the top! Why not get in then on the ground-level while this band is still (relatively) unknown?

http://thedeafening.bandcamp.com/album/central-booking

*Also featuring Youngstown, Ohio's own Turbo Lovers this 18-track compilation was worth the price of admission alone!

** A self-titled one from 2010 and the interestingly-named "Rattlesnake Sex Show" from 2011.