WOLVES LIKE US – Late Love

Newcomers to the American hard rock scene is Oslo Norway’s own Wolves Like Us with their debut album Late Love. Featured on this album are a collection of 10 tracks filled with pounding drum lines, melodic yet hard guitar licks, and howling vocals. While coming across as more of a hard rock album than anything else, the track “Shiver In The Heat” plays off a fast punk rock beat.


It’s quite clear that these guys can bring the rock, but it’s unfortunate to say that many of the songs feel like they follow the same formula from track to track. The vocals seem recycled as well — a little one-dimensional. I will say that the vocals are sung with conviction and gut-wrenching power, but feel played out by the middle of the album. Musically, these guys are quite good and the album is put together quite nicely, but I feel that by the fifth track the album ran its course. This might be one to check out on a streaming feed online, but not something I’d suggest picking up.

(Prosthetic Records, 11664 National Blvd. Suite 413, Los Angeles, CA 90064)

STIMULATORS – Loud Fast Rules!

By the early 1980s, the New York punk scene started to take on a new and more aggressive sound than heard before. The ‘70s brought a mix of New Wave and punk rock (Blondie, Television, The Ramones) through the doors of venues like CBGB’s, but by the 1980s that sound started to evolve. Bands started to up the beats per minute and added more distortion and speed to their guitars, while vocals got more and more aggressive — and so, the New York hardcore/thrash sound came to be.

On the crest of this crossover, the Stimulators were one of the first bands to start to incorporate this new aggressive sound. Loud Fast Rules features the band performing live back in 1980, featuring a 12-year-old Harley Flanagan on drums (Flanagan would go on to play drums and bass for the infamous New York City hardcore outfit Cro-Mags). The original release of Loud Fast Rules was released on cassette, so the audio on this re-release is about as good as you can expect from drawing the masters off of a mono-analog recording. The music itself is raw and driving, especially on the more fast tempo tunes like “M.A.C.H.I.N.E” and “Crazy House Rock.” There are also some more catchy pop-hooked songs featured here like “Dah Dah Dah” and “Blind Ambition,” and a cover of Kiss’s “Rock and Roll All Night.” There’s a lot of Ramones and Clash influence in these songs as well (and as expected).

Going back to Harley Flanagan, the fact he was only 12 years old when this was recorded blows me away. His drumming is clearly the highlight of this album, extremely tight. Re-releasing Loud Fast Rules will give the masses a chance to pick up a pivotal piece of New York music history, an album that influenced a generation of underground musicians not just in New York, but the world over.

(ROIR, PO Box 150-460, Van Brunt Station, Brooklyn, NY 11215)

STYGIAN – Fury Rising

Fury Rising is the second full-length album from these hard rockers from Philadelphia. Playing off a sound that can only be described as a mix of James Hetfield-inspired vocals with Disturbed-like guitar breakdowns, Fury Rising’s 10 tracks play it safe for the most part. The album is well produced and the music is well played, but it lacks heart. Sometimes when an album is over-produced, it loses that rawness that draws the listener in.

As mentioned, Frank Leary’s vocals attempt to mimic Metallica’s James Hetfield, especially noticeable in the slowed down acoustic song “My Regret.” Stygian seems to pull inspiration from all over the rock spectrum. “Last Redemption” and “The Fear” come across with an Alice in Chains sound. One of the bright spots with this album is Patrick Hayden’s guitar work, as he’s featured throughout the album on several solos. The guy can seriously shred! While there’s nothing terrible with Fury Rising, there’s nothing really special here, minus Hayden’s solos. It feels like nothing is original or unique to Stygian’s sound. As I said, musically and lyrically they play it safe. Nothing I can’t find on any ClearChannel radio station.

(Mortal Music Group, PO Box 661, Lake Zurich, IL 60047)

VARIOUS ARTISTS - CLASS PRIDE WORLD WIDE 3

Highlighting the very best of Insurgence Records, CLASS PRIDE WORLD WIDE 3 smacks us across the face with 22 punk-rock and hardcore tracks from artists all across the globe. Many of the tracks featured on this disc deal with the theme of the plight of the working-class man and his never-ending grudge with the corporate police-state world he lives in. It's punk in its purist form. I got a kick listening to German kraut-rock band Freiboiter with their track "Schone Neue Welt". Actually, I enjoyed all the foreign selections quite a bit—maybe more than the U.S. and Canadian tracks. In all, this disc is well worth picking up if you're looking for something new and unheard of.

(Review originally appeared in the June 2006 issue of Skratch Magazine)

THIRTEEN BLACK - HOME TOWN TERRORISTS

Yet another self-released album by another band whose passion for making music is clear. Arizona's Thirteen Black hits hard with this album. HOME TOWN TERRORISTS borders on a hardcore sound but sans the nonstop screaming. This album took a few listens before I really got to like what was featured. At times, I didn't care too much for the vocals, as they remain monotone throughout a few early selections. After the second listen, I got a clear vision of what this band is good at, something exemplified in "Get in Let's Go", a hard-hitting display of pounding drums and slick guitar work. It's worth checking out for all you thrashers out there. www.thirteenblack.net

(Review originally appeared in the April 2006 issue of Skratch Magazine)

Hailing from north of the border, The Black Halos bring to the table 13 tracks filled with driving guitars in all their glam-rock glory. Lead vocalist Billy Hopeless has a voice that could drive a vocal snob absolutely insane, but its raspiness is a perfect match with the music. Unlike a lot of modern-day post-punk glam rock, these guys have it together not only musically but also lyrically. I sense a lack of egotistical attitude with this band, something that keeps the music from being the clichéd, recycled crap I hear so very often. If you are in the mood for some hard rock minus the lame lyrics, give ALIVE WITHOUT CONTROL a shot.

(Review originally appeared in the April 2006 issue of Skratch Magazine)

TSAR - BAND GIRLS MONEY

Attitude oozes out of the latest effort from Los Angeles's own TSAR. This 10-song disc is loaded with catchy, clichéd rock riffs and vocals that at times sound just too sweet for my liking. They seem to be going for a post-glam rock, Sunset Strip hair-band feeling that left me half satisfied (if that). I was not impressed with the lyrical content, which seemed to be thrown together. It's quite easy to name a song and repeat its title over and over again (as in "Straight"). I was impressed with the guitars throughout this album, as they hammer out some hot licks; but the use of echo effects on the vocals become quite humorous and annoying. Although I can say that there is potential here, the clichéd sound left me bored and searching for something else to satisfy my musical cravings.

(Review originally appeared in the October 2005 issue of Skratch Magazine)

SILVER - WHITE DIARY

They say you shouldn't judge something by its cover, and it's true—especially in the case of the debut album from Norway rockers Silver. By the looks of the cover, I was expecting a horrid Guns N' Roses cover band. I found instead a decent mix of straight-ahead rock with influences ranging from early punk to glam rock. There is nothing out-of-this-world amazing about this release, but there is also nothing too terribly wrong with it, either. Its sound is quite poppy, with catchy vocals and riffs, and it's put together quite nicely. I would say that Silver played it safely when it came to making this album, with a mix of tunes that don't stray too far from a mainstream sound. For what it's worth, WHITE DIARY proves to impress within its boundaries but is far from exceptional. www.thesilverband.com

(Review originally appeared in the October 2005 issue of Skratch Magazine)

DISENGAGE - APPLICATION FOR AN AFTERLIFE

APPLICATION FOR AN AFTERLIFE is Disengage's third LP and doesn't hold back when it comes to foot-smashing beats and hard-hitting, heavy guitars. As I finished listening to the first track, "Pharmacyland", I was pretty impressed with the musical aspects of this album. As I ventured on through the next five tracks, the music became repetitive. The beat structure of the majority of the songs remained the same and became a bore to listen to. I found the lyrics well-written and meaningful, but lead vocalist Jason Byers's vocals didn't convince me they were heartfelt. In fact, I didn't feel anything. "Love Letter Rough Draft" did impress me with its tempo changes and lyrical content, as I finally felt some true emotion from this band. With that being said, I can't suggest buying APPLICATION FOR AN AFTERLIFE. The few songs that were promising aren't enough to keep this title afloat.

(Review originally appeared in the July 2005 issue of Skratch Magazine)