Knifer-Knifer

Rogues Realm Records
2017

Formed sometime back in 2016 and self-described as "Medium voltage rock'n'roll",  Brisbane, Australia's Knifer is lead by a front-man known only as FC and comprised of musicians that have ties to the doom metal band Zodiac. The four song demo "Knifer" is this band's studio debut and at the end of the working day it gets my ultimate stamp of approval!  Recorded, mixed and mastered by Christopher Brownbill at Underground Audio, "Knifer" is the righteous and reckless sound of a (Motörhead-infused) down & dirty speed metal/rock band that likes to drink, party and rock the F**K out! Naturally that is right up my alley! Chances are pretty good that others will feel the same way (especially if loud & proud heavy metal and/or heavy rock is your preferred drug of choice!). Song titles include "The Bottle", "Conspiracy of Silence", "The Snake", and "Satisfaction". To purchase a digital download of this demo simply click on this link. If you would like buy a cassette copy of "Knifer" be sure to head over here. At only $6 a tape, "Knifer" is a real  steal of a deal! If you ask me it also makes for the perfect graduation gift for any high school kid that sees Lemmy as their god! Off hand I know of at least three kids that fit that definition. While there you might as well order a cassette copy of "Source". Of course that is just a suggestion from one heavy metal fan to another....

Saturday Singles: The Aftershow-"Kilmister"

Afterlife Music Publishing
2016

The Aftershow is a (killer) new heavy rock/hard rock project from Roxy & Maxine Petrucci. Their debut single, "Kilmister", just came out on December 28th and it finds Roxy (drums) and Maxine (guitar) joined by vocalist Mark Slaughter (Slaughter) and bassist Michael Pisculli. This highly-recommend track (which is available for download on iTunes and Amazon) pays tribute to Motörhead's Lemmy and it is everything that one could hope for given the key players! Hopefully this is more than a one and done deal. 

Free Metal Monday: Angerhead - "Iron Fist" (Motörhead cover)

Active since February of 2011, Angerhead is a stone-cold killer San Jose, California-based metal band that is lead by mad-man Paul Hastey and rounded out by guitarist Eric Beard (Bomb and Scary, Dr. Chunk), bassist Jim Pegram (Patryk deRosa) and drummer Ron Redeen (ex-Brother Cain). This heavy-rockin' four-piece has two top-quality  EPs to it's name (2012's "Pissed Off!" and 2014's "Angerhead") and both recordings (which BTW are highly-recommended kids!) were independently-released. While these two distinct EPs have helped set this punk/hardcore-infused heavy metal/thrash quartet apart from the pack chances are good that it's Angerhead's soon to be released 3rd EP, "Fueled by Rage", that will be the real game changer! In addition to three original compositions, "Fueled by Rage" includes a choice cover of Motörhead's "Iron Fist". As a life-long fan of Motörhead I just have to say that as far as covers go this one is fanFUCKINGtastic! If ever a band did right by Lemmy and the lads then this is it! It's quite obvious that the members of Angerhead are big-time fans of Motörhead as they put a shit-load of heart and soul into this classic cover song that you can/should download for free by clicking here. Even if the other three songs on "Fueled by Rage" are merely so-so this incredibly heart-felt tribute to Motörhead will be enough to push Angerhead out in front of the crowd! Granted I don't foresee that happening (the other three songs being decent at best and what not) as everything that I have heard from Angerhead has so far been solid. Hopefully I will get a chance to review "Fueled by Rage", but in the meantime be sure to give this ass-kicking cover a chance.

Zero Down-No Limit to the Evil

Minotauro Records
2014

Released a little over a month ago, "No Limit to the Evil" is the latest release from Seattle, Washington's own Zero Down. At a little under forty minutes in length it is Zero Down's forth overall full-length release and it serves as the long-overdue follow-up to late 2011's "Looking to Start a Riot". Falling somewhere in that grey area between traditional heavy metal and N.W.O.B.H.M. (think Judas Priest/Iron Maiden territory) this Seattle band if further complimented (and I mean drop-dead seriously COMPLIMENTED!) by the punk backgrounds of the various members (gang vocals do a good job of bridging the band's punk rock roots with their more modern approach to thrash rockin' the joint down!) and a full-tilt admiration for all things Motörhead! The vocals of Mark "Hawk" Hawkinson (formerly of crossover/punk band DUMT) are shredded raw and man if that doesn't just give this five-piece an extra air of attitude then I don't know what will! Rounded out by what might just be one of metal's most underrated set of guitarists in Lenny Burnett (ex-No Direction) & Matt Fox (ex-DUMT) and featuring a pretty steady rhythm section in Ronnie Banner and drummer Chris Gohde (bass and drums respectively) Zero Down opens strong on the riff-heavy, Metal Church meets Thin Lizzy on a road trip to HELL(!) "Return of the Godz" before the title track pulls back the curtains further showcasing the strength of this band's (well-developed since first forming back in 2002!) distinct take of traditional heavy metal. While the sounds of the seventies rock hard on a number like "Cold Winter’s Night" and "Leche di Tigre" cruises towards Sabbath territory it's the slammer "Phantom Host" that really proves that a band like Zero Down can push the speedometer all the way to the floor! Even if a cut like "Suicide Girls" falls flat there is the memorable "Steve McQueen" to put everything back into perspective. "Devils Thorn" recalls classic Accept even as it's a raw and ravaged slab of garage metal! The Motörhead love thrashes heavy on "Two Ton Hammer" and by the time we close with the excellent "Black Rhino' we've taken an interesting walk through the hallways of heavy metal where bands from A (Accept and early Anthrax) to Z (fellow Seattle natives Zeke and  Znöwhite) are paid homage to. And that right there is what makes a band like Zero Down so fantastically fun to listen to! Zero Down are heavy metal for the sake of heavy metal and they make no bones about it! They are not afraid to shuffle the deck style-wise and given the band's obvious taste for not only metal (Raven, Judas Priest, Metallica and Motörhead being just a few choices being highlighted), but hard rock (AC/DC) and classic rock (Thin Lizzy) there is so much here to digest that you might want to take a second helping! At the end of the day this one proves to be the perfect addition to any self-respecting metalhead's personal collection!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zero-Down-Fan-Page/262964899318?ref=ts&fref=ts

Blood God-Blood Is My Trademark

Massacre Records
2014

"Blood Is My Trademark" is album number two for German act Blood God. And Blood God is a side-project from Debauchery's Thomas Gurrath. For those who do not know the name (or at least this version of Debauchery!) Tomas' main band (musically-speaking) is a mash-up of death metal and hard rock. Here with Blood God the name of the game is hard rock/heavy metal with vocals that could best be described as coming from the Destruction/Kreator/Sodom school of thought. Influences included the likes of Judas Priest, Accept, Iron Maiden, Motörhead and AC/DC and for what this band* is shooting for it's solid enough if nothing to get overly excited about. Interesting enough the the limited edition digipak of "Blood Is My Trademark" comes with a bonus CD that swaps out the German thrash-style vocals with a "monster voice". All of which makes the second disc just sound more like Debauchery!

*The "line-up" supposedly features:

Mr. Debauchery - Voices and Guitars

Mr. Kill - Guitars

Mr. Blood - Bass

Mr. Death - Drums

The thing is Blood God is rumored to simply be a solo/one man project of Thomas Gurrath. Whatever the case I actually prefer Blood God to Debauchery as Blood God is not as cheesy and (for what it is and all) it's actually pretty "rocking" in a "Motörhead will always be the true God of rock and roll so let's worship at it's alter and keep the guitars slamming for as long as possible!" kind of way!

Overcharge-Accelerate

Unspeakable Axe
2014

Italian punk rockin' speed metal? Dig in the Dancing Queen mothf**kers!  September 30th-Mark it down in blood as that's the due date for Overcharge's full-length debut.  The promo material shoots it straight when it proclaims how these Italians sound like a "drunken fistfight between Motörhead and "Kill 'em All"-era Metallica, if everyone was gargling broken glass and Discharge was playing on the jukebox"! Formed in 2012 (and with a self-titled, 2013 EP having paved the way for this metallic nutcracker of an album!), Overcharge features bass player/lead vocalist Fabiettto (ex-Mitra, ex-Rogo), guitarist Josh (Skarsfukkers, Omnivore, ex-Nightmare of Fallen) and drummer Panzer (Skarsfukkers) and dammit Janet if these guys don't just rattle the rock and roll cage for you then I don't exactly know what will! Available for pre-order at the link below, "Accelerate" is just the thing to settle your nerves in these turbulent times! So, what are you waiting for? Just buy this one already!

http://unspeakableaxerecords.com
http://www.facebook.com/unspeakableaxerecords
https://www.facebook.com/OverchargeRnR

 

Forgotten Gems: Möwer-Bastard Bröthers

Cruel Noise Records
2012

Stop me if you've heard this one before. First, a punk rock band from Pittsburgh (featuring two brothers in Craig and Sean Simpson) discovers that yes, it's alright if you play crazy fast (thanks in no small part to stumbling upon D.R.I.'s classic album, "Crossover"). Afterwards, no doubt through divine inspiration (because after all, Lemmy is God!*), said band is introduced to the almighty Motörhead and, one quick name change later, Möwer is born! "Bastard Bröthers", which was recorded at the Grease Diner, is actually Möwer's second release and (in all seriousness here folks!) it's a gloriously sleazy ride towards rock and roll damnation! It can be checked out here:http://mower.bandcamp.com/album/bastard-br-thers and I just want to give a quick thank you/shout out to the site Rust Belt Hammer ( http://rustbelthammer.com/) which I recently discovered. Covering music from my general part of the country, Rust Belt Hammer actually interviewed this crazy Penn.-based punk n' metal act which is how I was able to gather so much "back-story" on these brothers and their "Sex, drugs and rock n' roll" lifestyle! The groovy "Bastard Bröthers" is available as a digital download (the price is only $1!) and/or on cassette ($4!) so if you've every wanted to know what Motörhead would sound like if they were a Pittsburgh punk n' metal act now is your chance!

*If you've never seen it then check out the movie "Airheads"!