Nuke-Nuke

Hells Headbangers
2016

Due for release on July 22nd, "Nuke" is the self-titled debut from the lean and mean Detroit speed-tinged metal punk band of the same name. It serves as the follow-up to Nuke's twice sold-out demo, "Delta City", and finds this "supergroup" of sorts pouring gasoline on the rotting corpses of eighties metal, speed metal, street metal, raw thrash, N.W.O.B.H.M, and crossover and then slam dancing the night away of the smoldering remains! Comprised of members of Shitfucker, Reaper, Borrowed Time, Perversion, and Anguish this Detroit metal machine has a rough and raw sound unlike anyone else out there and it should come as little surprise to learn that they more than live up to their name!  With Ritchie Riot from Shitfucker on lead vocals(!), Nuke unleashes all kinds of chaos and blood-soaked carnage on their first full-length release and it makes for grand fucking good time to say the least! Whether this is a one and down deal or a long term project is anyone's guess, but let's all hope that this is just the first of many nuclear assaults that will reign down on us from these Detroit maniacs!

CrashDollz-Punks In Amerika

RadicLea Records
2016

Detroit, Michigan is the home turf of CrashDollz and "Punks In Ameriika" is this wild band's brand spanking new album. I first covered this female-fronted punk rock n' roll/metal band in one of my Free Metal Monday features and to this day the group's self-titled album never fails to amaze me! Now lead vocalist Nikki Darling and crew are back with a vengeance on their first album for RadicLea Records. Available in digital format as well as on CD, "Punks In Ameriika" was produced by Scott Lea (The Fiendz) and band guitarist' Rachel Rekkit. CrashDollz sophomore outing features 11 killer cuts including a new version of "Novocaine" (from the band's self-titled debut) and a choice cover of Prodigy's "Smack My bitch Up". Bassist Kevin Krank (Damien, ex-Bones Garage, ex-Chastian, ex-Vainglory) and drummer Rob Brug (Halloween, Warrion, ex-Damien) round out the line-up on "Punks In Amerika" and all four-musicians sound freaking fantastic on this fierier follow-up to the ever so cool "CrashDollz"! The album starts off strong and stays that way with opener "Hellcat" setting the pace for the rest of this attitude-filled disc! As one sweet as fuck track leads into another you'll find yourself drawn to lead singer vocalist Nikki Darling's strong presence and the simmering leads of CrashDollz' underrated guitarist, Rachel Rekkit. There's no sign whatsoever of a sophomore slump for these Detroit punk metal rockers on "Punks In Amerika" and with lyrics that point towards the strength of women in music this album is as positive as it is powerful! If anything the band's new album improves upon the material and the messages of "CrashDollz" and that is really saying something considering how classic this band's debut was!!  I have zero doubt that fans of "CrashDollz" will just LOVE this 11-track release, but then again so should collectors of classic punk & followers of female-fronted punk-metal. To the members of CrashDollz I say congrats on the release this power rockin' disc and PLEASE keep on doing what you're doing because the music scene of today really needs you to straighten it out! And to our faithful readers I say go out and secure your own copy of "Punks In Amerika" in order that you can support the further adventures of this amazing band! And if you have the chance then by all means be sure to catch this Detroit act out live! From what I've heard you won't be disappointed!!!!

Free Metal Monday: CrashDollz-CrashDollz

Self-Release/Independent
2013

They hail from the same bad streets that brought us MC5, Iggy and the Stooges, and the punk band Death. They've played with everyone from Jello Biafra to Great White. They have song titles like "Dumpster Punk", "Bad Taste Barbie", "Female Anarchy", "Sugar Rocket", and "U.S. Punk Bombs". And their lead singer's name is Nikki Darling. Yep, I'm talking about the legends in the making, CrashDollz! Let's all give them a hardy welcome and then be sure to thank the band for this special treat that they have brought for us today. It's called "CrashDollz" and boy is this self-titled affair ever fun! Well, maybe "fun" isn't the right word choice to describe this full-length party in the making. How about "wild"? No? Maybe "crazy"? No? OK, maybe "mischievous"? That's still not enough? Well, I'm stumped for a description then as the truth of the matter is "CrashDollz" is all of that (fun, wild, crazy and most definitely mischievous!) and then so much more my friends! "CrashDollz" serves as my first introduction to this four-piece band and as far as first impressions goes this was truly one of my better first dates! At it's core it's definitely rock (as is R-O-C-K!), but not in the way you might think. It's more rock and roll in the fine traditional of Detroit's previously mentioned greats (MC5, Iggy & Stooges, Death, etc...) or even a band like the Ramones. It's rock and roll the way Motörhead would do it or rock and roll by way of The Runaways if the Sex Pistols had been their greatest source of inspiration! Yes, it's that kind of rock and roll and it is absolutely glorious! But then again, "CrashDollz" is as much about fierily punk rock as it is rock and then it's also about honest to goodness heavy metal! So, you've got rock, punk and heavy metal in an album like "CrashDollz". What more could you possibly ask for? Oh, did I mention how it's available for free on the group's bandcamp page? That's right kids. "CrashDollz" is free for the taking and with a new album planned for sometime later this summer now is as good a time as any to join the party! Recorded at Union City Studios in Flint, MI, "CrashDollz" was made possible thanks to the joint efforts of Nikki Darling and her equally awesome bandmates (guitarist Rachel Rekkits, bassist Kevin "Krank" Kekes and drummer Mikk Mannikk) and with nowhere to go but up it's easy enough to see this band going from being one of Detroit's premier punk bands to world-wide favorites in no time flat! Especially seeing as their live show is reportedly ever bit as righteous as this self-tiled album is! I want to thank the band for contacting Heavy Metal Time Machine about their free album and encourage all of our readers to check out CrashDollz's online site for more information about this very cool band!

Against The Grain-Surrounded By Snakes

Self Destructo Records
2013

Serving as the follow-up to their aptly-titled full-length debut release, 2012's "Motor City Speed Rock", this makes album number two for Detroit's Against The Grain. That's right boys and girls. From the same great city that gave us Motown (and of course the MC5 and Iggy and the Stooges) we have the newest saviors of rock and roll, Against The Grain. Or are they the destroyers or rock and roll? Either way it's all good as this band, which was formed in 2009 and also has a 2010 self-titled release to their name as well as 2011, 7" split EP with Chapstik, delivers the same kind of speed freak, burning rubber and burning blunts heavy rock and roll that makes life just so much more easier to cope with! From the minute this one opens with the oh-so-appropriate "Raise Your Glass" Chris Nowak (vocalist/bassist for Against The Grain who may or may not be another one of Lemmy's no doubt limitless bastard offspring!) and company roll out the red carpet for punks and metalheads alike! Motörhead seems like a good starting part substance and style-wise (And yes, their are style points awarded in life kids so do it right!), but these lads, who list MC5, Motorhead, Fu Manchu, Dead Kennedys, Turbonegro, Pentagram, DRI, Thin Lizzy and Black Sabbath as a few of their influences, cover a lot of ground on these 12 tracks as we'll soon enough see. After the fitting opener sets the stage and we blaze past the Motörhead-infused title cut we get things cooking with the MC5 meets Black Flag cut "Get in the Van". These boys then channel C.O.C. on "Outta Touch" before crisscrossing their way back to some boogie-woogie Motörhead on "Don't Care What You Say"! For those most part all of the numbers on "Surrounded By Snakes" (length-wise) have all the trademarks of punk rock songs. Every track here (with the exception being the four-minute plus doom-laden track "Last Breath") finds a band quite comfortable in the fine art of smash and dash style dirty rock. "Get Ready", which is under two minutes in length, is "Garage Days Re-Revisited"-era Metallica taking a harder look at what makes hardcore punk work so well to begin with while the 1:44 length "Comin’ Home" is drunken speed-punk as envisioned by a hungry young rock and roll band that just wants to play for the hell of it all! While Chris Nowak has the lead vocalist part down pat (moving between Lemmy and a rougher James Hetfield at times while also sounding like he could have easily fronted an eighties punk/hardcore band on "Outta Touch" and "Comin' Home") and his bass playing is never in question (we're talking thick and heavy playing here boys and girls!) special mention should also be paid towards the rest of Against The Grain. Lead guitarist/backing vocalist Nick Bellomo and his cohort Bryan Griffin (no, not the character from Family Guy!) crank things up big time on this 12-track platter of dirty speed-rock and whether we're talking about boogie cuts like "Get in the Van" and "Don't Care What You Say" or the near-thrash attack styling of numbers like "Under Attack" and "Livin' a Lie" (both of which showcase a band that is all too familiar with early LPs of Metallica and Slayer!) the pair are equally capable of making it all work. Drums meanwhile are handled by ex-Break Anchor Rob Nowak and with Kyle Davis serving as a touring guitarist this is one act that is too good to pass up! Speaking of touring, this Detroit act supposedly plays in the neighborhood of 150 shows a year(!) and has played with the likes of The Meatmen, Church of Misery, Valient Thorr (who are similar in nature to what these Detroit rockers are all about), Nashville Pussy, Black Fag, The Hookers, Gang Green, D.R.I, The Angry Samoans, Zeke (whose fans would no doubt love this band!), Jello Biafra and the Guatanomo School of Medicine, Guttermouth, Jugheads Revenge, Agent Orange, D.O.A., Iron Cross, Negative Approach, The Flatliners, Hit and Run, Star Fucking Hipsters, Murphys Law and countless others! That means I've got another band that I have to keep an eye out for here in my little part of Ohio. One would imagine that a live show for this bunch is equally (if not more so) cool and that heavy cuts like "Padded Cell" and "Extinction" just shred the living daylights out of everything when played live! Now, picking a fave moment on this one would be hard as these rad rockers pull out all the stops as you can imagine. The album definitely opens strong with "Raise Your Glass" and then closes in similar fashion with the gritty "Extinction" which, believe it or not, touches on some N.W.O.B.H.M. moments! Still, numbers like "Outta Touch", "Get Ready" and "Comin' Home" appeal to the old punk in me while the cool title cut, which also features a bit of N.W.O.B.H.M. guitar playing (think a street punk's take on Iron Maiden) and the tracks "Under Attack" and "Livin' a Lie" are the stuff that heavy metal wet dreams are made of! So, picking just one number out of these twelve would be a hard chore and I'd much rather just advise that you grab the whole kit and kaboodle! As it appears as if it's available in both digital and physical formats (with an LP version available as well!) there's no reason not to try hunt this bad boy down for yourself! And, seeing as it would make a very cool last-minute present for Christmas for that certain someone in your life, an album like "Surrounded By Snakes" is also worth sharing! So, snag and bag this one folks. If you love all things Lemmy or bands like Zeke and Valient Thorr then this is the album you've been wishing for!

Borrowed Time-Borrowed Time

High Roller Records
2013

Somehow, and I've got no clue how these fine people do it, High Roller Records has found another old, long forgotten about N.W.O.B.H.M. album. Borrowed Time, and their under-produced* (in oh such a good way!) nine track album, must not have gotten very far back in the heyday or much press initially because I've honestly never heard of them before receiving a copy of this album as a gift. Wait a second. What did you say? You mean to tell me this is a band from Detroit that was formed in 2010? How can that be? With a sound that seems ripped right out of the N.W.O.B.H.M. scene itself (think Cloven Hoof, Diamond Head, Elixir, Demon Pact and Iron Maiden's early years all rolled into one) Borrowed Time is everything you'd want from a retro-worship band only without all the hang-ups! The band is lead by vocalist/keyboardist Jean-Pierre Abboud (aka: J. Priest), formerly of power metal outfit Shadow Self, and for such a young heavy metal band they've sure got an amazing old-world charm about them! Prior to this nine-track debut album the group release a demo, EP, compilation and a split with (the also quite cool) British act Wytch Hazel. This self-titled release from Borrowed Time follows the carbon footprints left by many a great N.W.O.B.H.M. band as well as the group's other big influence, Manilla Road. Lead vocalist/keyboardist J. Priest (the sole surviving original member and captain of this vessel) is joined by Matt Preston (guitars, keyboards), Victor Ruiz (guitars), Mark Kiseliovas (bass) and Sam Ceckowski (drums) and without sounding too corny or like the old man that I am I really miss this kind of real heavy metal. As someone who loves the N.W.O.B.H.M. scene first and foremost above all other genres a band like Borrowed Time is comforting and rekindles my love of older-style heavy metal. Changes are though that unless you're talking about really cool and hip kids (I'm thinking about my own kids and Joshua and Jake Wherley) today's younger generation of metal fanatics just wouldn't appreciate the little nuances that make Borrowed Time so sweet. They would be missing out though on something cool as Borrowed Time's debut album is a fun journey into the past from a band with (hopefully) a nice future ahead of them!

*Don't be mislead by my "under-produced" comment. "Borrowed Time", which was mostly recorded and mixed at Elm Street Recording, has a bit of a raw vibe going for it and when you have a band like this that actually turns out to be a positive situation rather then a negative one. IMO when you're tasked with recording either a N.W.O.B.H.M. or 80's metal influenced band the worst thing you can do for them would be to give their album a shiny/slick production. This sort of raw and natural heavy metal needs a under-scored production that plays to it's strengths. So, please don't  misunderstand how good this album sounds. If classic heavy metal is your thing then a band like Borrowed Time should fit squarely into your collection.

Shitfucker-Suck Cocks In Hell

*Top cover is for the American market while the bottom one is for the European one.

Hells Headbangers
2013


Just when you think you've seen it all along comes this bunch. Next to Washington's Slutvomit, the Detroit 3-piece known as Shitfucker (Really guys?) possess one of the more tasteless names out there. Or at least in regards to band's that I've had the "pleasure" of covering this past week or so. And it doesn't just stop there with the groups chosen moniker either. Duct tape the band's name to the album's title (which is a thinly veiled reference to the movie The Exorcist one would assume) and then the album's "Banned in Germany" art-work* (referred to here as a "Shiswastifa") and you've got a band (seemingly) going all in for the sake of maximum shock value. But, just like the earlier reviewed Slutvomit (who are also a 3-piece), and their tasty or tasteless (that just depends on how you view it) full-length debut-album, "Swarming Darkness", when it comes down to the actual music on this (long-time coming) debut album, well, it's just not all that earth-shaking or even controversial. Formed back in 2005, and with the usual assortment of demos and EPs having lead up to this full-length debut, it's more of the same blackened metal by way of Motörhead, early Sodom and Venom. These guys seem to worship at the same church as Slutvomit, which means various songs about Satan and how he's their school-yard chum and all that, although this Detroit collective is a but more punk about it. Well, there's that and then, and I doubt it's all that intentional, it's hard to take the band's lyrics or their subject matter all that seriously. And wouldn't you know it, but of course these tracks also tend to blur together just like it was with Slutvomit! Maybe these two bands are just one in the same or opposite sides of one coin? Or, maybe I'm just being a total turd about the mess? Who knows. But anyway, the audience for this group seems fairly obvious and even if I can't recommend this album for everyone, and again it's fairly obvious why not, if you are into black n' roll/blackened thrash or just bands who have songs like "Satantisanity" and "Go to Hell / Rock 'n' Roll Freaky Dude" then by all means do whatever it takes to add this 9-track oddity to your personal collection.

Iggy & The Stooges-Ready To Die

Fat Possum Records
2013

Given the mixed response that followed 2007's "The Weirdness" (the last studio album by The Stooges) there wasn't exactly a lot of excitement on my part when this album crossed my path. Still, my curiosity got the better of me and, seeing as it was The Stooges after all, it wouldn't be right to just write "Ready To Die" off without giving it a fair listen. I'll say that I'm glad I did take the time as there is a lot of good stuff to be found here on the group's fifth album. The album opens strong with the punk metal track "Burn", which highlights the guitar playing of  James Williamson (James returned to The Stooges following the unfortunate death of guitarist Ron Asheton), and holds steady all the way up until track number five, "Unfriendly World". That's not to say that "Unfriendly World" is a toss away cut or anything. It just comes along and, as it's more laid-back then the previous numbers (which, thanks to the skill of Williamson, really remind the listener of the high energy that came packed along with the group's 1973 "Raw Power" LP) quickly kills the momentum of the album. Still, it's a fair enough track in it's own right and, other then the album's closing number, "The Departed (which is directed at those who have fallen including the late Ron Asheton), it's the album's only ballad-like number. Both of these numbers are open and honest which is certainly something that has always rang true about both The Stooges and Iggy Pop himself. And speaking of honesty, and Iggy's "calling them like he sees them" approach, "DD's" is sure to be one of those cuts that will give the politically-correct crowd something to get all worked up about. It should be fairly easy to understand where the song sits, lyric-wise, so there's no sense in knocking Iggy for his (understandably) appreciation of said objects. Anyway, "Ready To Die" also features drummer Scott Asheton (one of the group's founding members), legendary bassist Mike Watt (The Minutemen and so much more!) and the sax of Steve Mackay. If I'm incorrect then someone please say so, but I do believe that, in addition to laying down some fabulous leads on this album, guitarist James Williamson produced "Ready To Die". The album's overall feeling is natural with the only complaint on my part being that the excellent saxophone playing of guest musician Steve Mackay (who was featured on "The Weirdness" as well as on the Stooges' 1970 album, "Fun House") is too often buried in the mix. Other then that minor complaint "Ready To Die" is a solid album with a really good title-track and more good numbers then fluff. While it both sounds like a proper Stooges' album and then again doesn't (the two ballad-like numbers throw things off a bit) it's still a good album that shows that there is still some serious spunk in these older rockers. Pound for pound it's also way better then the huge bulk of bands that the Stooges would eventually inspire (or at least some of the "music" these bands seem to be bombarding us with these days!) and a reminder that there still is good music to be found out there if you just open up your eyes and give it a chance.