Sunday Singles: Snakewine-"Brood of Vipers"

Phonector
2016

Released back on February 10th of this year, "Brood of  Vipers" is a drop-dead AWESOME single from German heavy rock/hard & heavy band Snakewine. This ass-kicking quartet is solid as fuck in regards to both their songwriting skills and actual performances and it was it just last week that I covered Snakewine's unreal album "Serpent Kings". Seeing as this rock and roll-fueled outfit is as much influenced by bands like Guns N' Roses and Rose Tattoo as it is Motörhead and Zeke there is no shortage of good times when you plug into tracks like "Brood of Vipers"! In fact the more I hear from this up-and-coming band the more I fall MADLY in love with them and it's the same kind of special feeling that I've long felt for Motörhead and "Appetite For Destruction"-era G N' R!! This is another band that I can't believe is flying so far below the radar especially in this day and age when this kind of dirty underground rock could save us all!!!!

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!

Bat-Primitive Age (Demo)

Tankcrimes
2013

Richmond, Virginia's Bat are a new (as in "2013 Brand Fucking New!" ladies and gents!) side project from three musicians with extensive ties to the heavy metal community. Featuring Ryan Waste (Municipal Waste and Volture) on bass and vocals, Ryan's Volture bandmate Nick Poulos (Organ Donor, Parasytic, live guitarist for Combat Delta, ex-Byam Klavor and ex-Cannabis Corpse) on guitars and former D.R.I member Felix Griffin (also of Blunt Force Trauma, Condemned Unit) on drums this 5-track demo EP is a fitting tribute to yesteryear's underground heavy metal and thrash scene as well as punk and hardcore's glory days. What exactly does that entail? Well, first things first before we get to the good stuff. "Primitive Age", which will be a digital download and cassette tape only release, was recorded on analog tape by Garrett Morris before being mixed by Peyton Gregory and the band members themselves. Mastering was handled by Dan Randall at Mammoth Sound and, at just 13 minutes and 37 seconds, this 5 track EP does the old in and out before you even have the slightest idea of what the hell just happened! As it was purposely recorded on analog tape the sound is raw. But then again that is what the band had in mind and the end result is a EP that could have easily been recorded back in the eighties thanks to it's authentic vibe. If you don't appreciate the raw appeal of the eighties underground scene then just stop what you're doing and step away from this review. We don't need anyone whining about how "Primitive Age" sounds like some demo from the tape trading days as that's the whole point! If you want to go hang out with the "Everything in my metal collection has to sound all shiny and super sparkly or I'm going to cry like a little schoolgirl" crowd then private message me by all means and I'll happily point you in the direction of metal sites where that kind of shit is the norm! Otherwise let's all just sit back and have a nice little talk about all that is right with this world thanks to bands like this trio! "Metal" bands like Motörhead, Tank, Atomkraft, Hellhammer and Venom work their way into the magic of this crusty demo as does the likes of Warfare, Bulldozer, S.O.D., Cro-Mags, English Dogs, S.N.F.U., GBH, Discharge and, in a way, D.R.I itself! Collectively these three pay homage to the past and if you were to close your eyes, let go and just embrace this demo for what it is you'd be instantly transported back in time to a world where things were not so complex and all of the best bands could be found by flipping through your local fanzines. If that sounds like heaven to you then do yourself a solid and click on the link below. Don't be worried that Bat are just another retro-act that puts on a good front, but isn't the real deal. With Felix Griffin on board this is one "young" band with more then enough street cred to go around and as "Primitive Age" pays testament to Bat are the real thing in a world full of fakes and imitations!
http://bewareofthebat.bandcamp.com/

Interview with Promiscuity bassist Werewolf

For those of you who don't recognize the name, which would suck for you as you'd be missing out on one (bad-ass) three-piece, Promiscuity is an Israeli-based metal band whose music could best be described as a combination of black metal, speed metal and Motörhead. Over this past weekend I was able to shoot the shit (so to speak) with Promiscuity bassist Werewolf  all thanks to Al Gore's World Wide Web (Thanks Al!). Werewolf, who is also the owner of Israhellbanger Records and was the editor of  the fanzine "Evil's Best", dices his way through this interview just like he diced his way through the EP's 4-tracks! I want to thank him for answering my questions and for being part of the heavy metal collective that has given the world the (much-needed kiddos!) EP "Basic Instinct"!

Andy-Hey, where are you guys all at now? Are you all in Israel as we speak?

Werewolf-Yup, we are all in Israel, though I was born in Ukraine and Alex (aka Butcher) in Latvia, so our native language is Russian. 

Andy-Cool. It's weird and all. Here I am in Ohio in the U.S. and your WAY across the pond! Ain't modern technology just nifty?

Werewolf-Tell me about!

Andy (A)-Could you tell us briefly how the band came together? What were you guys up to before Promiscuity came together?

Werewolf (W)-It all started when I was writing some lyrics and bass riffs, without any special plans to do anything too specific with them. I showed that stuff to Butcher and he suggested his help as a guitar player. It didn't take too long until it was obvious that he can sing way better than me as well, so we started to work on the songs together. Butcher had the first demo of his Death Metal project "KEVER" (which had a different moniker back then) recorded by then and I was only doing a printed fanzine and running a small label/distro at that time.When we found some guy who didn't mind to help us as a session drummer - the demo tape "Infernal Rock N' Roll" was created. Now Steel from Sonne Adam helps us as a drummer, he played in the "Basic Instinct" EP.

A-Is there any story behind the band's name or did you guys simply go with the time-honored tradition of just randomly flipping through a dictionary and putting your finger on a word LOL!

W-No, it wasn't a random choice. Black humor and sarcasm were the driving force of what we called PROMISCUITY since day one and lyrics about the chick from the "Basic Instinct" movie couldn't fit more naturally to this concept, so "Promiscuity" sounded like the right title for us. I also wanted a 1-word moniker. So many awesome Metal bands have a great, effective 1-word moniker - Venom, Slayer, Sodom, Pestilence, Razor, Destruction, Massacre, Death, Darkness, Sacrifice, Slaughter, Grave etc. etc... 

A- Well I love the one word moniker you guys choose! And while I also love the EP's title, as well as the cool artwork (!), I do wonder how many kids would be able to pick up on the reference points. You know what I mean?

W- You probably mean that not many teenagers are familiar with this classic movie, don't you? Well, maybe some will discover it through this release. I think that the cover looks cool, whether you know about this movie or not. The lowest common denominator is not our aim, anyway. We just write about stuff we rely to ourselves.

A- No arguments there. Write what you know about and write what matters most to you. Of course you guys do cover a Celtic Frost number so there's more to you guys then just "Basic Instinct" right?
 

W-Yes, it's not the only movie we've ever seen. There's also... errrr.... "Basic Instinct 2"!
Seriously, though - Gilles De Rais' was quite a controversial person and I think that a song about him fits in perfectly on a such release, where the other songs are the chick from "Basic Instinct", a pedophile and our first fan ever (R.I.P.), who wasn't the most normative person ever and to whom we dedicated "Maniac's Blues". We also wanted to give CF's song our own touch and I think that it does sound like a PROMISCUITY song, doesn't it?
 

A-Yes, it sure does! Besides Celtic Frost, whose early material was nothing short of wicked, it seems as if your sound comes from some old school black metal. would that be a fair assessment?
 

W-Metal is the favorite genre of all of us and the 80's to early 90's is the period where most of the best Metal releases were made, in every Metal sub-genre. This stuff inspired us to start playing and will always have an impact on us, but it's not only "Black Metal". We like many things, from Saxon to Necrovore. We don't make any conscious decisions in the vein of "let's make a riff like this band, a solo like that band" etc.Besides Celtic Frost, whose early material was nothing short of wicked, it seems as if your sound comes from some old school black metal. would that be a fair assessment?

 A-I know you guys are currently looking for a record label. Any bites at all?
 

W-Yes, Florian / Dying Victims Productions will make the cassette version. As for CD and vinyl - time will tell. I already declined a couple of offers that I had received, but I'd rather not get this music released on any physical format than let it be wasted in the hands of those labels.
"To be signed on this or that label" has never been our main goal. The fact that we managed to record this stuff and make it sound the way it does - that's what really matters to us. Everything is mastered for every format and the cover artwork is ready as well, so "Basic Instinct" can go to a pressing plant anytime, but we worked damn hard on it and we'd only let a label that can work as hard print and sell it.

A-I'm crossing my figures for a vinyl release myself. I'm guessing that it would sound fucking fantastic on a turntable! Where do you guys go from here? Will there be live shows?

W- There haven't been any so far, but never say "never. We are writing new stuff, but we like to take our time. I hope that the EP "Eon of Cycling Death" (Butcher's Death Metal band Kever) will be released on vinyl soon, on the other hand!(Editor's note: You can find out more about Kever through a link below!)

A-Keep me posted on that one! Are there any other bands from your home country we should be checking out?
 

W-Tangorodrim, Hell Darkness, Sonne Adam, Kever - these would be my personal recommendations. Also the 2-track demo of Guiltville, sound damn promising, they published it on their bandcamp page just a week ago.
 

A-Where can fans find out more about "Basic instinct" and your back catalog then?
 

W-Our entire "catalog" consists of the "Basic Instinct" EP and the "Infernal Rock N' Roll" demo tape from 2011. Both are available for free/"name your price" download from our bandcamp page: http://infernalrocknroll.bandcamp.com The "Infernal Rock N' Roll" cassette will be available for sale later, once I have the time to make more copies of it. We have never made a single piece of merch, but some will be made in the near future. Stay tuned via our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Promiscuity.Band

A- I usually let bands have the last word. Any parting words of wisdom? Have a special drink mix that you want to share? Any bizarre B-movies we should check out? the mic is yours...

W- Beer + vodka is one Hell of a mix drink, give it a try! \\m//

A-Thanks again Werewolf! I'll be keeping an eye out for Promiscuity from here on out!

W-Thanks for the interview, it was a pleasure to answer!The bandcamp and facebook pages appear in the previous answer, but those who want to contact us via e-mail - write to contact@promiscuity-band.com.
If you like this stuff - please spread it among alcohol addicts, junkies, perverts and other scum. This music is made for the outcasts!

You can read more about the band and their latest EP at the link below. Oh, and for you young kids out there out (well, young kids over the age of 21 of course!) mixing beer and vodka is not a good idea! Werewolf was just joking around there! And that brings me to an interesting tidbit about this interview. I'll tell you what folks, Werewolf is not only a killer bass player, but an all around fun guy and this interview (as well as a lot of other back and forth messages between us) made my weekend! Promiscuity is simply a different beast all together and their music is nothing if not original! Especially art-work wise and of course the lyrics! While their music is "pay what you want" why not throw a few coins into the bucket while you are at it! Making music doesn't come cheap and while it might be a bit of a novelty that they are from Israel and all it just means that getting their music to the masses in places like Europe and the U.S. is all the more difficult. Support underground metal whenever and however you can. And, as always boys and girls, live life LOUD and PROUD!

http://metalmark.blogspot.com/search?q=promiscuity

Butcher's project Kever ( https://www.facebook.com/MorbidTendency )