Free Metal Monday: Tropical Storm!-Deleted Scenes

Self-Release/Independent
2017

Tropical Storm! is a crossover/thrash metal band with a couple of releases to it's name. As the title of this 4-track EP somewhat suggests, "Deleted Scenes" is this odds and ends collection from the St. Louis-based metal band. The name-your-price digital EP serves as the follow-up to late 2016's "Surf's Up!". That two track release (which is also free!) features Snake Plissken on it's cover! There's no way in hell that you can go wrong with artwork like that on the cover and some M.O.D.-style crossover music on the inside!! The fact is I love everything about these punk metal thrashers. It's hard to find fault with any group whose debut EP was entitled "It Ain't Easy Being Cheesy"! Released in late May of 2013, Tropical Storm!'s first recording is a nice slab of rough and raw punk thrash that is free to download. How cool is that! Three free punk thrash/crossover releases to get you through your Monday morning blues! Fans of M.O.D., Cryptic Slaughter, D.R.I., Gang Green, S.O.D., Murphy's Law, Leeway, and (early) C.O.C. should check this lot out.

Shaved Women-Just Death

Ektro Records
2014

When it comes to punk rock are you as disillusioned as I am? Are you tired of hearing all the hype about some great new punk band only to find out that they are about as punk rock as your crazy uncle Bernie? If so then let's sit down and talk about this four-year old, four-piece band. You see, there's "punk" and then there is St. Louis-based punk act Shaved Women. And when you've got promo material that boasts of the following "Giving maladjusted hope to aspiring psychopaths everywhere, this fat slab is full of tasty jams. The distorted, buzzsaw riffs make you want to carry around a knife, not a switchblade. The John-Bonham-meets-the-Incredible Hulk drums make you want you start a fight with a wall until you have less bones. The vocals drill into your head and convince you that the only way out is to slam through the ground, tearing all of your friends' designer blouses while failing through the wormhole. Simply put, this sounds like the tension of blood boiling after a car accident...if it was catchy." you find yourself hoping to GOD that it really is all it's cracked up to be. Or at least I was. And yes, from the get-go I knew I was onto something damn special! For once the promo material spelled it all out to a the letter of the punk rock law. This one is spot-on damn fucking cool and for Shaved Women (Ben-vox, Chris-guitar, John-bass and Tom-drums) "Just Death" is the right kind of full-length release to make the best possible impression while making you long ache for more! Like done to your bones ache my fellow punk rocking friends! With three EPs already to their name the nine-track "Just Earth" should reinforce the concept that punk rock is far from dead and rotting. If anything it's just living life as recklessly as it can in St. Louis, Missouri! And speaking of recklessness, which in this case is just the name game, let's just toss a couple out with the shared acknowledgement that when it comes to Shaved Women it is indeed all about rocking out to your own John-Bonham-meets-the-Incredible Hulk beat! Somewhere between Halo of Flies, Raw Power, Black Flag, D.O.A., S.N.F.U. and The Grim you'll likely find Shaved Women hanging out and downing a case or two of cheap beer as these four would be in good company! It's punk first, some rock licks second and the cherry on top is dirty garage metal. "Just Death" is "lean, mean and totally obscene" as well as loud, fast and a bit obnoxious. And God bless Ektro Records for releasing it! Are your taste buds tingling at all for this nine-track demolition derby? If so then try the group's bandcamp on for size while you wait for this hammer to drop.  

http://shavedwomen.bandcamp.com/ 

www.facebook.com/pages/Shaved-Women/317471271626588
www.ektrorecords.com
www.soundcloud.com/ektrorecords
www.facebook.com/ektrorecords