Stray Bullets-Shut Up

Sneakout Records
2018

Active since 2007, Italy's hard rock band, Stray Bullets, offer up some easy & sleazy glam on their full-length debut album, "Shut UP". Released on January 26th, 2018, this well-crafted release serves as the follow-up to the self-recorded album, "Lost Soul Town". Having teamed up with the good folks over at Atomic Stuff Studio, a huge chunk of "Lost Soul Town' was re-written & re-recorded in order to present this enthusiastic recording! Fronted by Alex Chinaski and featuring the mad skills of guitarists Steven Evil and Nick, bassist Dave Dufford, and drummer Zen, Stray Bullets official debut is sure to bring a smile to the faces of sleaze/glam fans as well as anyone that likes (catchy and fun) down and dirty hard rock!! This hidden gem features some sinsational guitar work and more than likely it will remind some of our older readers of the heyday of the L.A. hard rock/glam metal scene. If laid back (hard & heavy) sleaze is your drug of choice, "Shut Up" is the fix you need!  

Promiscuity - Basic Instinct

Self-Release
2013

Israel isn't the first place that comes to mind when I think of sleazy, underground blackened speed metal. But then again what do I know? Of course I also find myself wondering what the odds are that today's generation of metalheads would know what the film Basic Instinct is let alone get the reference of this EP's cover-art? Regardless,  when it comes right down to this recently-released (name your own price) 4-track EP, which was reportedly written between 2011-2012 (with recording taking place this year) and clocks in at under 15 minutes, we're talking about one bad-ass, son of a witch, slab of heavy metal! Hell, I could just stop right there, leave you with the picture below, and that would be all you need to know about "Basic Instinct". In this case a picture speaks a thousand words!

When you've got Lemmy holding up your album then you know you've made it! What better endorsement does a band really need? Still, this 3-piece group, which was formed in 2010 by the pair of vocalist/guitarist Butcher and bassist Werewolf (who is also the owner of Israhellbanger Records and was the editor of  the fanzine "Evil's Best"), deserves a bit more press then that given how deliciously primal and "Toxic Waltz" worthy this 4-track EP is! With three original compositions and a (pissed-off and foaming at the mouth) cover of Celtic Frost's "Into the Crypts of Rays" it's not everyday that an EP like this falls into your lap! Speaking of the cool cover choice, which almost sounds like a cross between Venom and Motörhead (just two of  influences that help define the sound of Promiscuity), early Celtic Frost (and thus Hellhammer) would make for a good starting point. So would bands like Bathory, Italy's Bulldozer and maybe even (early) Burzum. With Steel (Sonne Adam) on drums the members of Promiscuity have the power-trio appeal down flat. You know the bands I'm talking about right? Venom and Motörhead are two bands that at one point or another had just three members, but bands like Sodom, Tank, At War and Destruction have also featured similar, trimmed-down line-ups. I don't know about everyone else, but I've always found 3-piece metal bands to be rather appealing and this Israeli band is no different. It should probably be mentioned that lead screamer/ thrashing guitarist Butcher comes from the "Cronos School For Gifted Heavy Metal Vocalists". Translation: His voice is a bit gruff. Rough vocals work though when it comes to underground metal (especially black metal/speed metal/black n' roll) and it gives a release like "Basic Instinct" a more sleazy vibe. Other then the (WAY too) short length of this EP you couldn't ask for a better release then this. Even though it's got a black metal soul the EP is more upbeat in a subtle Motörhead kind of way. It's also far from depressing which is (admittedly) another strange thing for a black metal (ish) band. But, it makes this one stand out in a good way. As the guys in Promiscuity, who no-doubt would be found sporting evil smirks on their faces, rock the joint all the way to hell and back they seem to be issuing an open invitations with "Basic Instinct". This EP is calling out to anyone/anywhere who wants to get on board.  If  that sounds like you then follow the link below...

http://infernalrocknroll.bandcamp.com/

Slutvomit-Swarming Darkness

Invictus Productions
2013

Formed in 2006, and possessing one of the more-ahem-"interesting" names out there (What, were the names "Whorelauncher" or "Skankfountain" already taken?) the U.S. 3-piece known as Slutvomit and have already released one demo and one EP ("Satanic Slut Metal" and "Turning the Cross Towards Hell" respectively). Now, on their first full-length album "Swarming Darkness", we find ourselves staring into the empty eyes of this 3-piece band whose sole purpose in life seems to be churning out sick, sleazy and raw, "as blackened as possible" speed-thrash/death metal with overtly blasphemous lyrics. Mission accomplished then. And while there does seem to be a lot of these kind of underground, overly satanic, "early Sodom by way of a more messed-in-the-head Morbid Angel" (A new genre perhaps?) bands (to the point where it's almost self-parody) there are few that take it this level of unholiness. Lead by one M. Larson (vocals and guitars) this Washington-based act does present a bit of a challenge (tolerance-wise) as it does blur together after awhile. With influences like the aforementioned Sodom and Morbid Angel, in addition to bands like Slayer, Possessed, Bathory, Venom and Destroyer 666 this is one underground band that's likely to already have a built-in audience that's just waiting for fast & frantic, unholy metal like this. .

TELEVISION60'S - CELEBR-HATE

Street Symphonies Records/Andromeda Dischi
2012

Straight-up this release is close to a year old. Just in case you wanted to get it a little present or something. What to get it? Well, this Italian 4-piece seems to enjoy the finer things in life like sex, alcohol and rock n' roll (not necessarily in that order!) and they're all about having fun. That translates to a debut-album with 8 tracks of hard & heavy rock that's more punk then anything. As the band cuts a path across the highways and byways, dive bars and seedy clubs, it's acts like The New York Dolls, Hanoi Rocks and Lords Of The New Church that spring to mind. I'm willing to admit that the last one there (featuring the late great Stiv Bators) might just be popping in my head because of the fact that I had been listening to them previous to this review. Still, there is no denying that they same life blood found in bands like those three mentioned runs it's course straight to the hearts of modern acts like this bunch. Of course comparisons/influences have been made/attributed to the likes of more modern acts like The Hellacopters and Backyard Babies. It's there of course, but again these 4, lead by  vocalist/bassist Mikki, march along to the beat of their own drummer (which, in this case at least, is member Cioxxx) while the guitarists here, Frizz and Mark, rip shit up with squealing ax's going all kinds of crazy. It all makes for a bona fide rock and roll circus where the animals run the show!

The Unripes-This Is Not America

Street Symphonies Records
2012

The Unripes, who were reportedly born a "one-night-only-band" back in 2005, issued this, their full-length debut LP, at the tail end of 2012. Call it a Christmas present then to sleaze rock aficionados as this bunch, which includes original founding members vocalist Axia (Vocals) and Michele "Mike P." Pelillo (Guitarist) teaming up with newcomers Uncle Sappa (Bass and formerly of Midnight Sun and Sutuana) and drummer Sevens (a.k.a. Lucas Setti from Trick Or Treat), ripped their sound right out of the fabric of time and space circa early-mid eighties @ California. Even though we have here a bunch that has self-dubbed their style "Sleaze-Core" this aptly-tilted release (which probably means something different for this batch then it does to us Americans these days) is more about the likes of Mötley Crüe, Poison, Trixter and Jetboy then anything else. A more modern day comparison for this Italian 4-piece could be Crashdiet, but these guys do tend to up-the-anti as it were with splashes of modern metal and crackling, Billy Idol-style, rock. Even when it comes to the glam infusions that the members of The Unripes must have took prior to unleashing this debut-album there is variety. Musically/muscularly The Unripes end up swinging back and forth between light fare such as Nitro (the glam rockers) to the much more filling hard rock of an act like Twisted Sister. They do all of this with a sense of humor and an obvious love for their own "Sleaze-Core". Of the 9 tracks here we get one cover in Geri Halliwell's "Scream If You Wanna Go Faster" which, arguably, could be the this albums strongest cut with the other 8 tracks being original compositions. Of those 8 cuts this bunch ends up going from the strong/hard rocking impact that is "Reload" and "My Muse Is Called Rock 'n' Roll" to the "this would have been better suited being left off of this debut-album" misfire that is "The Star Beyond This Wall". Those statistics are pretty solid coming from any new band let alone one that was formed on the fly! "This Is Not America" is a release that could have used a little tweaking (originalityy speaking), but it's hard to find fault given how fun this record is to soak up. Give this group more time (if they do prove to be more then a one-and-done project) and we could very well be looking at the next Crashdiet as this act looks primed and ready to pounce on the scene!

John Gält-Served Hot

Street Symphonies Records
2013

Is there any other way to serve it then hot? I've got to say that of the pile of promos that showed up one day in my mailbox that this one caught my eye for obvious reasons! As I went to put this one in the old CD player though I did expect that John Gält was an artist and not a band. I didn't realize that they took their name from a character in Atlas Shrugged until I happened to flip through the press release. My bad. Anyway, this my friends is what you'd get if you drew a line between the everyman metal that is Motörhead and the sleazy punk of early Mötley Crüe. Mind you their not as heavy and nasty as Lemmy and his boys, but they're also not covered head to toe in make-up and spandex either! John Gält, who were formed in the summer of 2010, came to prominence thanks to a 2011 3-track EP called "First Run" and now, with this 10-track album rocking n' rattling through my speakers, this Ukrainian act has a new fan in yours truly. With glam and sleazy hard rock making a slight bit of a comeback I can see this young band, who are lead by vocalist/guitarist Ostap Molyavko (who sounds all the world like a cross between Axl Rose and Dave Mustaine!) catching on with fans here in the states. Actually, I can easily see John Gält, which is rounded out by guitarist Ivan Rybnikov, bassist/backing vocalist Alexandr Sedov and drummer Sergi Telipko, hitting all the right notes on a worldwide basis thanks to catchy songs and a nice punkish attitude. This one is spot-on for fans of  sleazy hard rock and/or glam metal, but "Served Hot" should also appeal to garage metal freaks as well!

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/johngalt

Vietcong Pornsürfers-We Spread Diseases

Dangerous Rock Records
2013

Swedish 4-piece Vietcong Pornsürfers, who possess another quirky and yet cool as shit name, offer up a really interesting mixture of punk and hard rock on this 12-track album. I'd imagine that this is what would happen if members of The Dead Boys, Ramones and The Misfits got into a brutal bus crash with members of Hanoi Rocks, L.A. Guns, New York Dolls and Guns N' Roses. If you can picture a raw and punkish 80's Sunset Strip act collaborating with some of New York's 70's punk artists and then salivate at the thought then this is one slab of metal meat you'll want to take a nice big bite out of. Sometimes sloppy, but always crunchy this band delivers track after track of snarly rock that what make Iggy Pop stand up and take notice! Definitely worth tracking down if you're into punkish metal with a sleazy undercoat!

https://www.facebook.com/VietcongPornsurfersOfficial

De La Cruz-Street Level

Frontiers Records
2013

De La Cruz hail from Gold Coast, Australia and their interests include " Rays, Babes, Good vibes , Epic Nights, Music, Rxck n roll!!!!". When you consider that little bit of golden knowledge and that their influences include Motley Crue, Winger, Dokken, Ratt, Lynch Mob, Van Halen, Def Leppard, Skid Row, W.A.S.P, Cinderella, KISS and Steel Panther then you should be able to figure out what "Street Level" is all about! The band was formed in June 2011 and, in addition to having a lead singer named Roxxi Catalano (Roxxi being his christian name I suppose) the band is rounded out by guitarists Casey Jones & Rory Joy, bassist Grant Daniell and drummer Lacey Lane. Quite honestly as I listened to "Street Level" I had vivid flashbacks of the eighties/early nineties. The only difference is that De La Cruz doesn't make me want to rip my own ears off like far too many L.A. bands did back in the day! Really, despite this being ever so cheesy, I have no objections to it. These guys seem like they are having fun and it's never a case of being overly obnoxious or anything so "Street Level", while maybe not my cup of tea completely, is fine enough arena-like/eighties rock/glam/sleaze rock. Worth picking up if you're into that kind of thing.

Crashdiet-The Savage Playground

Frontiers Records
2013

Having heard the single "Cocaine Cowboy" I really thought I had a general idea how this album would end up sounding. How I thought I could guess that given that all of the band's previous albums have sound different then each other I don't rightly know. Even so I thought this one would be a straight walk along the lines of the band's familiar fusion of glam metal and punk rock. It turns out I had no idea how the band's forth album would sound. Here's another occasion where I gladly admit that I was wrong. First off it should be noted that this is the first time around the band has had the same line-up on back to back albums. There's something to be said for that kind of consistency of course. Even more Simon Cruz is the first singer to be featured on back to back Crashdiet' albums and that little bit of consistency goes a long way towards making "The Savage Playground" sound all the better. To be fair I'm still not sure if this one is as good as their first album. That was one killer debut though so it would be hard to top it. But the thing is the band's last album was a really good mash-up of sleaze/glam/punk/metal so this has been a fairly consistent band when it comes to releasing good material. Sure, "The Savage Playground" might not stack up to the group's debut, but it's probably my new, next favorite album so that says something. It's strengths lie in the fact that it's not the same song over and over again. "The Savage Playground" features some of the most diverse material you're likely to hear from a "glam" band making it a fun listen. Over the course of 13 tracks this Swedish band takes advantage of having  the same singer/same band twice in a row by getting adventurous. Sure, so far each new Crashdiet album has been different. They have all struck a different pose. This one though feels MORE different. The single "Cocaine Cowboy" suggested a truly sleazy rock outing. So thinking that the band would play to that crowd would be a fair assumption. The thing is though this is a band who is influenced by a lot of different bands. Kiss, Guns N' Roses, Skid Row, G.G. Allin, Poison, Ramones, W.A.S.P., Motörhead, Alice Cooper and Mötley Crüe all come into play. Take the opener "Change The World". It reminded me somewhat of a mixture of the first two Skid Row albums. It's quite a far ways off from the sleaze of "Cocaine Cowboy". Then there's "Anarchy" that, despite what the title might suggest, is almost straight-up hard rock. "Circus" actually finds the band in a headbanging mood while "Got A Reason" is a street rocker you could almost imagine being a punk anthem if it had more of a raw twist. "Snakes In Paradise" is early Vince Neil and company before "Dr. Feelgood" ruined them. "Drinkin' Without You" might be a song that hits a little too close for comfort for me, but it's also a song that sounds different then all the others. It's hard rock/heavy metal with an almost AOR gone punk vibe. Weird but cool. That's the beauty of this album. It's never the same thing twice. Even the last three albums all sound a bit different. "Damaged Kid" and "Excited" might be both sides of the same coin (this is the unmistakable sound of Crashdiet after all!), but they do enough to make them both enjoyable in their own right. These 13 tracks wrap up with the strong number "Garden Of Babylon". While it's not the only song on this album to show off the inventive guitar playing of Martin Sweet (as his playing is top-notch and creative through-out this album) it's a telling statement that Crashdiet are not afraid to get their hands dirty trying new things. At a little over 7 minutes it's as close to epic metal as Crashdiet could possibly get. It should go without saying that bassist Peter London and drummer Eric Young are also as good as ever not only on a track like "Garden Of Babylon", but on every track here. These guys make it all sound so easy as they transition from one new sound to the next. When you have a band that is as talented as this band is though maybe it does come that easy. With the band set to go on a worldwide tour in support of this new album (their first such adventure!) maybe Crashdiet will finally be able to truly break out among the pack. They have four albums to their name now and, despite the tragedies, sound as ready as ever to make their mark. Here's hoping they have nothing but success as they deserve it.

Crashdiet-"Cocaine Cowboy" Single

Frontiers Records
2012


I really enjoyed Crashdiet's last album, 2011's "Generation Wild" (also released on Frontiers) and after hearing this new single I can honestly say I am looking forward to their new album. Due for release on January 22, 2013, Crashdiet's new album, "The Savage Playground", will hopefully see the band trying their hand at something different while still maintaining their core sound. It seems to be that on each new album Crashdiet has changed their sound just a little, a little tweak here and there if you will, to make sure that they give the listener something new with each new CD. "Cocaine Cowboys", the 1st single from the new album, is a sleazy little rocker of a good time with just enough of a hard rock edge to make things interesting. If the new album is just as good as this rocker then "Savage Playground" should be worth the wait. You can check out the new song for yourself at the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mHnWcAwriw

Kissin' Dynamite-Money, sex and power

AFM
2012

This is the third album from this German sleaze/hard rock outfit. They wear their influences on their sleeves with Guns and Roses, AC/DC, Motley Crue and Skid Row showing through. Plus some comparisons to current younger acts like Reckless Love and Vains of Jenna could be drawn as well. This band seems to be getting some hype. I am not sure if that's because people really like them or if they are just amazed to see a band who isn't from Sweden playing this style these days. What I liked about this album was the in your face approach they had. This style doesn't normally work when you play around with it too long so yes give me all you got right away. This also helped to demonstrate a sense of confidence and I definitely got a feeling that they love what their are doing and believe in it. Okay, I know you are just waiting for the "but" part of this review. Okay here you, overall this albums is decent, but the vocals inconsistant at times and that was a major distraction. If your singer kind of tries to be Axl Rose on moments and then sort of attempts to be Joe Le Ste the next it breaks up the flow of the music. That happened here a few times. I also felt like their creativity wasn't always equal to their energy which lead to moments where they are tyring be excited about playing dull music. That approach just didn't pan out all the time. It's a well above average effort, but they need some real work before people can start proclaming them the next big thing in hard rock.