Hailing from Houston, Texas, The Satanic Overlords of Rock ‘n’ Roll have arrived to unleash their debut album and to apparently let us know that the soundtrack in hell is filled with punk n roll anthems with plenty of guitar solos and hooks. Several bands came to mind while enjoying this album with their sound based in both the spirit of punk n roll bands like the Hellacopters, Electric Frankenstein, and Gluecifer, but they go deeper than that by also bringing to mind 70’s hard rock bands and at times the New Wave of British Heavy Metal across these 8 songs. I need to get my butt out of the house to catch one of their live shows.
‘Devils Law’ rides the flames up to Earth first with a brief intro giving way to a ‘1,2,3,4’ and before we know it we are hit with a lightning fast riff that throws up against the wall. One of the areas where this record suffers a bit is the band were recording this on probably a tight budget so Cheech’s drums don’t hit as hard as I am sure they will on future recordings. One of the ways I have found to address the sonic “limitations” is to crank it up really loud and get immersed in the songs. Donnie Stokes’ has the perfect voice for punk n roll as it carries with it an attitude and roughness that also gives way to an ability lay down some great vocal hooks in the choruses of these songs. Bill Fool and John Tolczyk lay down some awesome riffs and solos in this one before the band hit us with another chorus. ‘Glass Eye’ features a hook filled chorus but does not connect with me as much as most of the other songs here. The tempo feels more restrained, and the guitars are buried more in the mix here with only the solo really getting a chance to rise above it. Hearing this one live might change my mind though as I imagine it hits a lot harder in that environment.
‘Blood on the Backdoor’ unleashes the guitar riffs again and hits the sweet spot that Electric Frankenstein does so well by laying down multiple hooks between the music and the chorus to make the song immediately feel like an old friend. I can’t remember what listen it was when I started singing along to this one, but it seems like it was really fast. The guitars are high in the mix here with plenty of room to carve into your brain. This one also wastes no time and is segueing into side one closer ‘The Worm’ before you even know what hit you. The guitar riffs initially don’t erupt as much here but hit the mark with the sound feeling very much like you hear on those classic NWOBHM albums. Another huge chorus designed for audience participation, and the guitars get more of a chance to shine near the end of the song.
Getting us started on the flipside, ‘New Bomb’ rages out of the gate and hits you like a bullet train. Every listen conjures images in my head of a crowd going ballistic with this one playing, and bodies slamming into one another. ‘Unholy Ghost’ offers no reprieve with Lencho Cevallas getting to throw in a bass run to get the song going and then some more opportunities to get featured in the mix throughout the song. This has another chorus that immediately stuck to my head and has been a go-to song for me on this album. The guitar solo really provides a different feel to a song that otherwise would be right at home on an Electric Frankenstein record with Scott Wilkins on vocals.
Another hook hits us hard with ‘Sacrificial Lamb’ throwing some piano in the mix, and I must admit that I was initially singing something other than ‘Sacrificial Lamb’ when I was listening to this with no regard for song titles. My ears still pick up something different, but I am not going to project that out to any of you so these misheard words will belong to just me. ‘Demon’ ends this séance with another hook filled shot of action rock that features a simple vocal hook with the guitar riffs providing a strong hook on this epic closer. The final minute or so provides as outro that bookends the beginning of the album in a cool way.
This isn’t going to redefine the punk n roll genre or revolutionize the world, but the Satanic Overlords of Rock ‘n’ Roll make it a better world with this album now in it. Eight songs feel a little different for this style as my expectations fall more towards a 10 song album or 5 song EP. At the same time, I grew up when albums had fewer songs so they could fit on vinyl. This album has lots of evil charm, and, as I mentioned earlier, I really want to hear these songs in their natural live environment now. While it will not compete in my top albums of the year list, I can see this being an album that will continue to get plenty of plays.
‘The Satanic Overlords of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ is officially released June 7th
Author: Gerald Stansbury
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