Soot And Stones...

Chimney Creeps - Nosedive (2020)

Popping up from New York with this, their debut album, the power trio of Chimney Creeps (like chimney-sweeps, get it?) brings a seven-song batch of sludge-varnished heavy rock to the table. Flexing their style and rotating member focus on the instrumental opener “March of the Creeps”, the band shows a bit of grunge flavoring, but with a leaner, buzzier approach. It's a good foundation-setter for the next tune, “Head in the Sand”, which brings in guitarist Dennis Haggerty's lead vocals, striking a balance between punkish barking and moments of melodic harmonizing. Both the bassist (Donavon deCesare) and drummer (Alex Hadjiloukas) provide backing vocals throughout the album, pulling their performances in the songs that much tighter together.

As the songs go on, the band shows its facility with crusty riffs, big swells, dirty grooves, and beefy bass-lines. Keeping up a steady current of wounded anger, the group digs out old-school hooks and gives them a modern sharpening, while keeping the underground vibes well in effect. Things get a bit expanded in the second half, with the closer of “Diving Line” shading out into a number of stony bridges. Riding out on a big-finish groove, the Chimney Creeps make it easy to spin the album time after time. It'll be interesting to hear how their style develops with subsequent releases, whether they play up their dirt rock, grunge, or sludgy sides, or keep honing a fusion of the three. However it goes, if you've been in the mood for some audibly authentic heavy rock, you'd do well to pick yourself up a copy of this album. Available on vinyl and digital, both at very reasonable prices.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Alice in Chains, Funeral Horse, Pale Grey Lore, Rainbows Are Free, Sex Scheme

Facebook • Instagram • BandCamp

Chimney Creeps - Creeper (320 kbps)

~

Wrestling For Brainanas...

Groover von Kruger - The Scientist and the Monkey (2018)

With seven years between their debut release and this follow-up, it's not too bold to assume that most of you readers are unfamiliar with the Australian group of Groover von Kruger. It's also not much of a stretch to assume that our regulars are happy to check out new stuff, though, so I feel pretty well-assured that the band's hard and funky rock blend will be well-received.

Kicking off with the lively “Dynamite”, the band quickly establishes their flexibility and riff control, before moving into the dirty groover of “Pussy and Pancakes”, which slows things down for a saucy swing through a Spinal Tap-ish push over the top, while the tones go hard bluesy before jumping into retro shredding for a spell.

The title track picks up from there with a bouncier wailer bringing the bass to the fore, playing with dancy beats and high-tension guitar to build an atmosphere which gets neatly overturned by the following song, “Magic Beans”, which takes a lounge-band vibe and undermines it with tongue stuffed nearly through the cheek wall, letting an instrumental groove roll slowly along, with pit stops for announcements in Italian. Lastly, “Already Gone” pulls some of that atmosphere along by way of its casual piano, but spruces it up with funky licks and proggy twists, drawing it out into a fine finish.

There's a surprising amount to digest in these five tracks, and hopefully it won't take the group quite so long to craft their follow-up. Check out the EP yourself, and let the band know you want more if it tickles your fancy.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Frank Sabbath, The Heavy Co., Mondo Drag, Stone House On Fire, Stonerror

Official Website • Twitter • BandCamp

Groover von Kruger - The Scientist and the Monkey (320 kbps)

~

Hues To Blame...

Narcos Family Band - Pink Blues (2017)

Set for release on the last day of this year, this latest EP from the Philadelphia-based group of Narcos Family Band boasts four quick tracks of dirty rock, rolling along on fuzz-swaddled guitar riffs, belted vocals, flexible drumming, and plenty of hooks. With each track, they tease an opening, then dive in to thrash about and have fun, then barrel their way out before things get too redundant to be fun anymore. At times, it's almost like sludge on mood enhancers, with the grinding tone of the guitar and the clear punk allegiances joining playful conduct and a focus on rock power over downbeat kicks. And the careening grooves show a knack for the looser side of psych rock, infusing the songs with a bubbling, unpredictable recklessness that only lifts their rocking all the higher. Fun, gnarly, and quite tasty, this should be on your list if rock that colors outside the lines appeals to you in the slightest.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Butthole Surfers, Crown Larks, The Heavy Co., Poor Dumb Bastards, Sex Scheme

Facebook • BandCamp

Narcos Family Band - Leopard Stealth (I'm Gone) (320 kbps)

~

Sludge, Fuzz, And Crust...

Slush - American Demons (2016)

American Demons is the latest and longest release from the NYC band of Slush, who've been kicking around for a few years now, and are now bringing eight tracks of fuzzy, sludgy, punky, doomy rock (plus a shot of blues every now and then) into action with a rough but stylish form.  Keeping things generally quick and concise, but letting riffs and tunes have the room needed to grow, the band uses thick-fuzzed bass, flexible percussion, and gnarly guitar to build multi-hooked runs and lines of memorable sway-inducing grooves.
While there's a trust-bringing crustiness to the music, pulling yourself away from the impulse to just slow-bang your head along and focusing on the playing will give a sense of hard refinement put into getting all the pieces to come together just right.  Even when blearily shredding along, or bringing out a swampy growl of mad bass (both of which come into excellent use in "Iron Mountain", which you can find below), the band keeps a... well, polished isn't the right word for it, so let's call it well-worn, as though they've played through everything enough to be able to bend it and twist it around without losing the essence.  While I can't call myself a big fan of NYC, the music of this album does have me regretting that I can't catch Slush doing their thing live.  Check it out on their BandCamp, and when you find yourself trying to hum out whichever track ended up lodged in your brain, go ahead and buy a copy to help show they're doing things right (you can even snag a mercury silver cassette version, with art for each song, if that's your thing).  Strong stuff with a good sense of humor and powerful chops.
~ Gabriel

For Fans Of;    Black Pyramid, The Heavy Co., Merlin, Satan's Satyrs, Special People

BandCamp

Slush - Iron Mountain (320 kbps)

~

Smell The Stickiness...

SKUNK - Heavy Rock From Elder Times (2015)

With a dedication to throwback metal so committed that the back of the CD case is done up like a sketch-covered high school notebook, and half the track titles dealing with one way or another of getting intoxicated, the new demo from SKUNK throws its cards onto the table with a grin and a bang of the head.  Classic-sounding riffs, bass and guitars that're chunky without getting too sloppy, and plenty of enthusiastic extra touches from the vocalist and drummer melt together for homage so earnest it feels like the disc-case should have smoke-stained wood paneling.
While old-schooled heavy metal is the main thing going on in this demo, the band also splashes in a fair amount of hard rock, and once in a while (as in the slow-grooving "Wizard Bong") some doom-like down-tuned devilishness rears its head as well.  The band plays well with all of its pieces, and they sound to be having good fun with each song, bouncing around when they can get away with it and buckling down when that works better.  It's also very nicely produced for something the band has branded as a demo, with enough grit left in to make the heavy rock feel even more genuine with its dirty attitude.  Fans of modern bands who draw almost all of their inspiration from the '70s (to the point where the main riff of closing track "Badwater" sounds like it was pulled right from Alice Bowie's "Earache My Eye") will want to check in on this one.
~ Gabriel

For Fans Of;    Orchid, Wo Fat, The Hunted Crows, Devil To Pay, Uncle Van & The Buzzards of Fuzz

Facebook • Official Website • Twitter • BandCamp

SKUNK - Throw Down Your Cards (Gypsy Woman) (320 kbps)

~

Grinning Like Statues...

The Stone Fox - Roll The Dice (2015)

The Stone Fox hail from Brisbane, Australia (don't mix them up with Stonefox, from Melbourne), and with this debut album, the group demonstrates their deep fondness for old-fashioned rock'n'roll with a healthy coating of friendly dirtiness.  The seven tracks range from slow groovers ("Cigar Man", "Morphine") to stompier and speedier runs ("The King's Jester") but for the most part, it seems as though the group just wants to savor the semi-bluesy, 'whiskey & smokes in an off-road bar' feel in their music.  I'll admit that's just an assumption, based on subtle little clues like the section in "The King's Jester" which goes "We are Stone Fox!  We love rock & roll!".
There is a little slipping into the '80s cock rock realm (maybe most notably in the inclusion of the passes-for-a-ballad "Mannequin"), but the album generally feels honest despite those moments, and they might even be playing them just for laughs.  There is, after all, a sense of enjoyment on the part of the band throughout the album, with a sauciness to the riffs and delivery that works well to connect The Stone Fox with their audience, presumably either on record or on-stage.  Check 'em out if you're looking for something to play while kicking back with a beer or similar treat.
~ Gabriel

For Fans Of;    Testosteroll, That Sinking Feeling, Black Stone Cherry, The Hunted Crows, Jak Locke

Facebook • ReverbNation

The Stone Fox - The King's Jester (320 kbps)

~

Boogie Through The Dark...

Five Mile Smile - Boogaloo Blues (2014)

Back after a hiatus which began in 2003, Ireland's Five Mile Smile are already hard at work on songs to re-establish their sound.  One of those tracks is "Boogaloo Blues", a hard-edged blues rock song with ample humor and crunchy chords.  The band keeps their heads down, focused on their work, though the vocalist gets to belt out some attitude of his own over the gritty low-down.  Though it's only one track, it does a solid job of laying out their path from here on out, while leaving listeners hungry for more of their dirty-but-charming crassness.  Keep an ear out for more to come, and be sure your spine is limber enough to handle all the shaking that will ensue.
~ Gabriel

For Fans Of;    The Getaway People, The GTVs, Jak Locke, RHINO, Manthrass

Facebook • SoundCloud

Five Mile Smile - Boogaloo Blues (320 kbps)

~

Don't Fight The Rock...

Special People - David Carradine Style (2014)

With punk attitude, gnarly guitar, and a strong presence from the drums, Special People's latest release mixes an abrasive edge into a dirty cocktail of rock and heavy grooves.  Employing fuzz, crust, traces of no-wave, and the driving force of their considerable energy, there's an appreciable vitality to their music that blows past the usual constraints of genre expectations; they're just too busy channeling the riot through their instruments to be held back like that.
At the same time, they do have a dab hand at slipping from the outbreaks of noise and feedback into compelling rides along the more groovable sides of their influences.  This was done, I have to imagine, so that people at their live shows would be able to last more than 15 minutes through the floor-shaking sounds, but organized in the format of a full album, it also shows off the band's strengths across an impressive range of moods and techniques.  Of special note is the album's biggest track, "Dead Bald Eagle", which takes some cues from "Star-Spangled Banner" before twisting them beyond recognizability into expansive stretches of experimentation.  Fast-moving, hard-hitting, and enormously effective at seizing control of your body to get it moving in rhythm, David Carradine Style is a good pick for anyone who likes their rock wild and unrestrained.  Copies are available digitally or as one of 100 red cassettes the band had pressed for their lucky listeners, through the Special People BandCamp page.
~ Gabriel

For Fans Of;    Sex Scheme, The Heavy Co., Rizoma, Fear, Funeral Horse

Facebook • Official Website • BandCamp

Special People - Drug Dreams (320 kbps)

~

Tear Up The Skies...

The Hunted Crows - The Hunted Crows EP (2014)

Following up on a single they'd released a month earlier, this self-titled EP forms the bulk of The Hunted Crows' arrival on Australia's fuzz rock scene, and their entrance is done with plenty of style.  Making use of some sick and slippery effects on guitar while the drummer/lead vocalist (hell of a combo, that) belts loose with his voice and kit, the duo generates a surprising amount of noise and grooves, kicking ass in the process.  What boils up from their storm of activity is some deliciously dirty rock 'n' roll, and while there's some of that great bar-band flavor influencing the bluesy undertones, they rev things up with a slick glob of motor oil sound to the production and heavier riff assaults.
It's the type of music that would be perfect blaring out the open door of a mechanic's shop, with a lit cheroot ashing away under a welding mask while sparks fill the air, but that's just the first situation that came to my mind while listening; really, as long as you can get away with playing it as loudly as you should be, the music on this EP would be a nice addition to most of life's scenes.  Grab a copy, crank your speakers, and let your ears have some grit.
~ Gabriel

For Fans Of;    Manthrass, Demon Head, Wizard Rifle, Wicked Lady, Celophys

Facebook • Official Website • BandCamp

The Hunted Crows - Twisted Tongue (320 kbps)

~

Sleeping It Off...

Grindhouse - Sleeping At The Peeps (2014)

With a name like “Grindhouse”, this band was everything I was hoping it to be.
Straightforward, cheaply indulgent, yet still well-crafted and catchy, Sleeping At The Peeps digests much like a slice of greasy, decadent rock-n-roll gluttony.  I couldn’t wait to tear through this teeth-rotting treat when I saw the obnoxious Christmas-colored album art.  Chock-full of beer bellies, Pabst, and cowboy hats, and raunchy in all the right ways, I found every song to entertaining as the cover.
I am especially a fan of albums that move seamlessly from song to song,  and much like a good book, Sleeping At The Peeps subjugates the senses in such a way that you almost forget you are listening to eight separate tunes.  Don’t mistake this for a boring, singular sound, however.  Although this band labels themselves as garage rock, their music subtly glides in and out of various styles; but remains even-keeled.  “Dapto Dazzler” kicks off the album with energetic guitar riffs, and raucous, tube-y vocals.  “Wild Sex And Machine Guns”  has more of a rockabilly vibe, while “If You Say So” errs on the side of straight-forward punk, and “High On The Side Of The Road” slows it down a bit, alluding to a classic blues rock kind of feel.  The album wraps on a high note with “Mutha Fuckin Punk Rock Power,” ensuring that you will hit  'replay' to keep the stamina of the album going just a bit more.

~ Allie

For Fans Of; The Vines, Turbo Negro, The Hives, Ramones, The Strokes

Facebook • Official Website • Instagram • Youtube • BandCamp

Grindhouse - High On The Side Of The Road (320 kbps)

~

Dirt And Dreams...

The Hissy Fits - No Way Out (2014)

Blending some grungy garage rock sounds with some fuzzy mock-pop sensibilities, The Hissy Fits' first EP has a distinct character to its quick and dirty songs, which slip and slide around and out.  There's a little taste of dreaminess to the songs, though they're all grounded by the earthy sound of the instruments and production, while feedback blares and drum assaults in the background add to the semi-chaotic vibes, with a trace of '80s NYC punk attitude leaking steadily out of the edges.   Probably best enjoyed with some level of intoxication in your system, so that you'll be as open to their raunchy sound as possible, and as close to their influences as you can get without ODing.  They'll be playing a show tonight in North Carolina, so if you're in that general area, try not to miss their performance, where they'll have the chance to really ratchet up their improvisation and wildness.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; The Chubbies, Daisy Chainsaw, Supersnazz, early PJ Harvey, Stinkerbell

Official Website • BandCamp

The Hissy Fits - No Way Out (320 kbps)

~