The Hellacopters – ‘Eyes Of Oblivion’ (Nuclear Blast)

The Hellacopters – ‘Eyes Of Oblivion’ (Nuclear Blast)

It’s been a while since The Hellacopters put out a new album and in some quarters the anticipation has reached fever pitch. Sure they’re not the band that got down to business all those years ago with the sonic headfuck of ‘Super Shitty To The Max’ Christ that was ’96 they’re a lot older and as for wiser? Fuck knows I do know a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then and not all of it has been good. ISE had their moments but the sound had evolved for sure like a lot of bands where the lineup has changed and careers moved left and right nobody would want them to stand still so trying to avoid the hype train and the fanboys can be an impossible task in the 21st century but here we are. April 2022 and it has arrived.

I find giving the records of Nicke Andersson time to breathe is best for me and dipping in or having them in a mix tends to grab me and the same has to be said about modern Hellacopters. I like that there are ten tracks and each one is almost perfect single in length and it didn’t become something of a ‘Chinese Democracy’ and whilst I wasn’t expecting ‘Action Now’ to rip out of my speakers I was pleasantly surprised with the howls of feedback ringing out of my speakers as the band kick out the jams with a strong opener. Big dirty riffs thumping low end and the Stooges piano tonking away in the background.

Andersson has a very distinctive vocal style and layers of vocals ring out on ‘Can It Wait’ and so many guitars scream out of the speakers in all directions courtesy of Dregen and Anders Lindstrom as well as Andersson Platow. It conjures up an image in my mind of a pirate galleon with Nicke in the crow’s nest moving through choppy waters with his pirate crew blasting out below him as they own the seas. It’s confident and punchy so far.

I was worried that this record was going to be Sweden’s answer to 38 Special but so far I’m delighted with what I’m hearing. The final dramatic refrain of the bluesy Ballad that is ‘So Sorry I Could Die’ which has an excellent performance from the frontman.

The title track is what I would say is comfortable Hellacopters territory and a track that brings up the bands arena Rock side. It’s a little like ‘Sonic Temple’ era Cult – One I’m hoping is a grower. I do however love the old school sleeve and with 180gm vinyl being the choice of the day the card sleeve must be at least 180gms as well which is nice.

Now ‘Plow And A Doctor’ is something I connected with right away. Reminds me of the modern Alice Cooper garage rock rather than the Stooges Garage that can be so alluring. the Piano is great and the overall production from Chips Kiesbye is spot on and just enough Kiss-like polish but a decent dose of rough assed distorted guitars n grit which really suits these songs none more so than this one.

‘Tin Foil Soldier’ veers into a bit of glam stomping territory and some Sweet (Pun intended) Slade like stomping. The breakdown is showaddy waddy on steroids and no filter cigarettes – I like it. ‘Beguiled’ is another 70s inspired rocker with hints of Lizzy in the lick and that’s always a winner.

As we race into the home straight I’m happy with what I’ve heard thus far and not having had a great deal of time to familiarise myself with these songs I’m impressed, and the acoustic rocker that is ‘The PRessures On’ is certainly not a ballad but more a late balmy night rolling through deserted streets in a big fat Cadillac with the top down and the stereo on loving life, it’s been that sort of journey. Leaving just ‘Try Me Tonight’ to take this bad boy home. With a cool lick the song stutters and jerks to life and hits that chorus in the sweet spot and we all join in on the chorus. Great song to close this off. I’m heading back to the beginning and going in again I think this might just be a grower. Get on it now and fill yer ears with ‘Eyes Of Oblivion’ it’s a bit tasty!

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Author: Dom Daley

Scumbag Millionaire drop new video for ‘Desperado’

Scumbag Millionaire drop new video for ‘Desperado’

WANTED: Scumbag Millionaire. Today, the Swedish action punks release a new video for ‘Desperado’, the third single from ‘Poor and Infamous’ which will be out this Friday 25/09.

“In this video we traveled back in time. To a time when Hisingen was a calm place except for three gringos raising hell. Trying to avoid the local sheriff and the bounty hunters.” 
– Max L (guitar)

High energy action punk, straight out of the gutters of Gothenburg, Sweden! After touring all over Europe in their stinky black and gold Chevy van, playing all the punk rock venues/festivals and drinking all the beers (one entire tray at the time, it’s easy once you know the trick!), Swedish action punks Scumbag Millionaire headed to Sunlight Studio with producer Tomas Skogsberg to record their second album: Poor and Infamous.

Scumbag Millionaire is an extension of the classic Scandirock-scene which had its prime in the late ‘90s with bands like The Hellacopters and Turbonegro. With people craving new Scandirock acts, Scumbag Millionaire are more than happy to pick up where it left off, proudly flying the Scandirock flag in 2020.

September 25th 2020 will see the release of Scumbag Millionaire’s second album: Poor And Infamous. The follow-up to debut album Speed (2018) was recorded at the legendary Sunlight Studio in Stockholm, produced by Tomas Skogsberg (Backyard Babies, The Hellacopters, Peter Pan Speedrock) and mastered by Frida Claeson Johansson at Svenska Grammofonstudion, with guest vocals by Jennifer Israelsson (Hot Breath) and Elin Larsson (Blues Pills).

“Recording with different producers and engineers on different projects has always really helped us develop. Tomas has produced some of our all-time favourite albums and working with him is something we’ve been talking about for a long time. It was an amazing experience working with him and listening to all his stories from the past.” – Adde

All singles from the new album will also be released on 7” single: In a little under six years, the band has released between 17 and 20 singles (they might have lost count), including split releases with bands like Electric Frankenstein and an Iggy & the Stooges tribute split 7”. To end their Speed album cycle with a bang, they released a 12” maxi single. All these releases have incredible artwork, come in different vinyl colours, and contain B-sides that are not available anywhere else.

“We simply love 7” singles. The format is amazing, with just one song on each side. And also the size of it. It’s an item you always can afford at the merch table. What’s not to like?” – Adde

Scumbag Millionaire is:
Max A – Vocals & Guitar
Max L – Guitar
Dennis – Bass
Adde – Drums

Website / Facebook  /  Instagram / Youtube

Johnny Casino – ‘Hits And Misses…The Times And Crimes Of…Volume Two’ (LA Vila Nova Recordings)

Johnny Casino – ‘Hits And Misses…The Times And Crimes Of…Volume Two’ (LA Vila Nova Recordings)

Here we have one of many compilations coming out in 2020 from Australian rock’n’roll journeyman Johnny Casino. The material here stemming from his earlier days in Asteroid B-612 to some additional tracks from the turn of the Millenium in Johnny Casino’s Easy Action. This is the 90—00 addition of his retrospective deep dives lovingly titled Hits & Misses.

Always incredibly underrated in international terms, the contribution of the land from down under to the metamorphosis of punk rock and it’s reactionary genres. Whether you are looking at their garage rock bands of the seventies, Melbourne’s post punk scene and even New Zealand’s Dunedin alternative rock sound. All highly influential on European and American acts alike but never getting a lot of the name checking it deserves.
I first came across Asteroid B-612 on a garage rock/psyche compilation years ago, I’d originally thought that they must of been a part of the original 70s wave of bands because their sound is so authentic without sounding dated. Not at all unlike contemporaries such as The Hellacopters and New Bomb Turks but at times with a harder edge like Mudhoney or Tad, particularly on 9 minute opus ‘chainsaw’ and album opener ‘moody’.
Original material on the record is backed up with an excellent array of covers spanning from Alice Cooper to Per Ubu. A particular stand out here is their ‘down on the street’ Stooges cover which has the ferocity of Dead Moon, it’s sonic fury making up for any production shortcomings.
Overall this is a great beginning to a career retrospective that has left me wanting to here part two and three that are also available. As well as that we have a new solo album to look forward to, you can check out country-tinged single ‘trouble weighs a ton’ which is out now. We’re just over the halfway point of 2020 and Johnny Casino is more productive than most artists are in the space of five years, pandemic or not, nothing is going to slow him down. Head over to his Bandcamp page and check him out, you won’t be disappointed.
Buy Johnny Casino Here
Author: Dan Kasm

Diamond Dogs – ‘As Your Greens Turn Brown’ (Wild Kingdom Records)

Diamond Dogs – ‘As Your Greens Turn Brown’ (Wild Kingdom Records)

As my learned colleague, Craggy waxed lyrically when he reviewed ‘Honked’ the first of these Anniversary albums from Diamond Dogs, I went on a journey down the Rock and ROll highway and played every Diamond Dogs album released and the overriding thought I had was –  Damn this band was smoking hot when they got in that groove.

They were honking on the whole Faces early ’70s Stones vibe and they were killing it every time and the most important thing was they had the tunes to go with the swagger and if those five albums were my gift to the world I’d be so proud of my band and the songs we’d created. Its quite some collection and as the band aged like a good wine they changed taste but remained true to their roots and sound.

On reflection, it seems like yesterday the band were rolling into my small village and pitching up their amps in a restaurant at the rear of my local boozer on a Sunday night after having a show in the City cancelled they then proceeded to Rock the socks off the locals with a wonderful and impressive set. These sets are pressed on vinyl as well as CD and contain a plethora of bonus tracks (singles B Sides) to wrap up the tunes from that period in a perfect set.

As Your Greens Turn Brown: After the keys introduce the listener with a bit of ‘Bloodshot’ before kicking up a shitstorm in the shape of the fantastic no holds barred ‘Goodbye, Miss Jill’ even now it makes me smile a five-mile smile when the band kicks in and the harmonica starts honkin’.

The record ebbs and flows superbly with the highs being particularly high and when the band gets going man they sounded authentic and passionate.  The lulls when they’d kickback. Their blend of Hammond and Rock and Roll overdrive mixed with a few horns stabs here and there is timeless. Let the good times roll on the ballsy ‘Hardhitter’ and then they can drop a few gears as they venture off into Small Faces territory via ‘Singing With The Alleycats’ it’s easy to see how these guys got gigs with Punk rockers like the Damned or Rockers like The Cult and Nazareth when you hear the raw ‘Bite Off’ with its too fast to live riff and with that variety in mind you pick up the flavour of just how talented a songwriter Sulo is and he lives these songs and wears them on his sleeve you can’t bluff Rock and Roll this good which is why he attracted the likes of Darrel Bath and Steve Klasson into the fold.

 

The band were comfortable letting go and cutting loose as they were doing the jig is up country-tinged ‘Anywhere Tonight’ as they were doing the whole Thin Lizzy duel guitar kick-off that had songs like ‘Boogie For Tanja’ being so effortlessly good. Then when they needed to turn down the lights they could glide into ‘Yesterdays Nymph’ in one fell swoop. When Sulo took the mood down he has a wonderful tone on his voice and as far as taking on the Brits doing the whole R&B thing there’s no contest Diamond Dogs were more consistent than a lot of their contemporaries churning out albums of exceptionally high quality and this bad boy is right up there with the best of them and when your B Sides are as good as your A-Sides you know you’re onto something.

Fifteen songs of exceptional quality its like they once said Too much is never enough! Bring on the next one and I’ll get me filled up on more trips down memory lane and promise myself to play these records more often they deserve it and so do you – Buy it!

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Author: Dom Daley

“Demons” – ‘No Loitering (Burn Down The Club)’ (Vitriola Recordings)

“Demons” – ‘No Loitering (Burn Down The Club)’ (Vitriola Recordings)

In the mid to late 90’s it seemed that bands in Scandinavia had sold their collective souls at the Cross Roads found at the Three-Country Cairn, where each member was given the complete discography of the Nomads, The Stooges and the MC5 and told to go away and learn them.

Paving the road were the three horsemen of the apocalypse; The Hellacopters, Gluecifer and the Flaming Sideburns. Following on in their wake were the just as important and influential second wave, never quite making it to the Arenas but packing out clubs across their home Countries, Europe and even as far afield as North America. One such band was the “DEMONS”. Strangely enough, the States, notably the Pacific Northwest, embraced the Scandinavian Invasion and for a while, “DEMONS” were the uncrowned Kings of it.

To celebrate the band’s 25th Anniversary a live album called “No Loitering” that was recorded between their second album “Stockholm Slump” and third “Demonology” on the 5th March 2004 at The Crocodile Cafe in Seattle is being released via Vitriola Recordings. 

The press release says that “It by no means is pretty”, I’m not even sure if this is off the Soundboard or a very well recorded audience recording but it’s what we want, no scrub that, it’s what we need; fast, sweaty and furious without any compromises. The original classic four piece line-up kicking an eleven song set off with “Undertaker’s Lament” from the aforementioned “Stockholm Slump” but before you have time to register that fact the band are already ripping through “Devil In Me” but it’s not all past glories as the band road test the as yet unreleased “Lost Dog” and “What’s This Shit Called Love”, that both sit perfectly well in the set. The gig is the perfect length for us old school TDK 90 merchants coming in at just under 40 minutes.

Back in the day if I did have this on a cassette on the other side would be the Ramones “It’s Alive”. The only gripe I have is no “Electrocute”. Over here in Dear olde Blighty gigs still seem a long way off. This is why “No Loitering” is so important; not only is it a band firing on all cylinders but it is a reminder of how good live gigs are.    

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Author: Armitage Smith

*This album is a Bandcamp exclusive. It will not be found on Spotify or any of the other streaming services.
A limited-edition digipack cd with a bonus poster will be released by Vitriola Records and will be available at a later date*

   

Various Artists – ‘A Fistful More Of Rock & Roll, Vol 3’ (Screaming Crow Records)

Various Artists – ‘A Fistful More Of Rock & Roll, Vol 3’ (Screaming Crow Records)

A Fistful More of Rock & Roll, Volume 3 contains Twenty Six of the best Rock n Roll bands from all over the world! Originally slated for release in January of this year manufacturing problems and a pandemic pushed it back to July 31, 2020. Although all the bands/songs are sweaty, beer-soaked denim dripping Rock n Roll, Available on CD and gatefold double LP.

Liner notes from Producer Sal Conzonieri of Electric Frankenstein.

A Fistful MORE of Rock & Roll – Volume 3 continues in the same tradition that the original 13 volumes of A Fistful of Rock ‘n’ Roll did from 2000 to 2007. 

It’s the Return of the Return of Rock ‘n’ Roll,Call it what you like Action Rock Punk n Roll does it really matter? It’s Straight down and dirty, Loud n lustful, Action Rock revolution, High Energy Punk Rock ‘n’ Roll yadda yadda yadda.

Action Rock, Punk N Roll, Hard Rock now we’ve established that you can actually call it what you like if its good I’ll give it a spin and if it’s not then no thanks I’ll pass.  This new age of “Action Rock” is churning out records at a rate of Knotts and for the convenience of keeping all these alternative bands under one umbrella, I happen to think its in rude health.  Having covered a lot of these bands over the years I find it warming that they’ve been brought together  thanks to the super hard work of Sal.

Starting in the late 80s and early 90s, a worldwide Rock revival / New Rock Revolution sprang up, from Scandinavia to the USA to Australia to Wales. Spontaneously, around the world, a group of bands developed this new sound, such as Poison Idea, Action Swingers, Bullet Lavolta, Big Chief, The Fluid, Blue Hippos / Otto’s Chemical Lounge, Celebrity Skin, The Kings of Oblivion, Flower Leperds, Fearless Leader, The Lazy Cowgirls, The Donnas, The New Bomb Turks, The Didjits / The Lee Harvey Oswald Band / The Gaza Strippers, Dwarves, Zeke, Supersuckers, The Hookers, Nashville Pussy, Easy Action, Trash Brats, Candy Snatchers, Adam West, The Cherry Valence, Jakkpot, The Upper Crust, Speedealer, B-Movie Rats, The Stitches, The Humpers, Rocket from the Crypt, The Superbees, The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs, Zen Guerilla, The Murder City Devils, The Mud City Manglers / The Cheats, D Generation, Electric Frankenstein, The Black Halos, The Spitfires, Danko Jones, American Ruse, TV Killers, Dumbell, Temporal Sluts, Thee STP,  Aerobitch, The Pleasure Fuckers, Safety Pins, The Nomads, Puffball, The Rockets, The Hives, Gluecifer, The Flaming Sideburns, The Hellacopters, Backyard Babies, Turbonegro, The Onyas, The D4, The Datsuns, The Powder Monkeys, The Panadolls, Mustang, Hoss, Teengenerate, Supersnazz, Jet Boys, Thee Michelle Gun Elephant, and so on, that were all featured on the first series of the “A Fistful of Rock ‘n’ Roll” compilations.

Today there is a whole new generation of young bands and (cough, cough) not so young bands delivering the goods and knowing exactly where the action is.  they have built upon what the previous bands started, keeping Punk Rock ‘n’ Roll alive and full of high energy. Thus, a second series is necessary to document this: “A Fistful MORE of Rock & Roll”; No mistakes at all when I say this is one of the loudest compilations and no quarter is given not even an inch.  Side one pairs up Deathtraps with Egyptian Gay Lovers both playing loudly but both offer something quite different from each other. As far as Deathtraps go they’ve just released an excellent album full to the brim of loud rock and roll and a leap in quality from the first which was pretty impressive as it goes.

Flexx Bronco opens up side two with a cool rocker ‘Heart on the Floor’ and again it’s sounding quite different from the Elvis meets Danzig rock of Nevadah and ‘Iggy Dog’ but I have to admit I have a soft spot for the most excellent Drippers record ‘Solitary Speaking’  rumbles along like a freakin’ steam train heading for oblivion.  A quite ferocious cut for sure. Then to follow that with Randy Savages Rockin’ and a rollin’ on their single Guilty of Nuthin’ is an exceptional burst of energy and how can anyone not get behind that guitar solo!

Of the bands I’ve never heard before Joecephus and the George Jonestown Massacre is one with a bit of a mouthful but fear not Rockers the guitars are slung low and the energy levels are in bloom. Moving away from the Punk n roll attitude of a band like Randy Savages you have The Dirty Denims who pray at the altar of DC and all things ROCK!

There are some bands I’ve not heard anything from in quite a while and to be fair bands like The Cheats are kicking serious backside as is Dog Toffee someone I’ve not hear anything from in a while and they sound excellent as do East Coast Low another new one on me and their solid thump.

It might be an idea to listen to this in healthy chunks so as to not overwork your brain and to give your speakers a chance to recover.  Projeckt Daghouse  are kicking up a hellish racket but they are overshadowed by a band I’ve championed since hearing their debut. Poison Boys have got the lot from the pretty faces going to hell. But trying to pick a favourite side is like being forced to choose between the kids.  But don’t tell anyone but the last record is freakin awesome such is the quality of songs on offer.

It’s fair to say I’m impressed and this is right up there with the best for sheer quality and like I said earlier the amount of hard work that went into making this project a reality and all these cool bands delivering the goods on mass is a real Boon to the scene. An honour and a feather in the caps of those who get featured and being associated with such a quality compilation.  I hope Sals turned his attention to volume 14 and I look forward to hearing who and what is on offer because this is only the beginning of the second wave. Now if only this virus would be kind enough to fuck off and let us get back to live shows maybe we can see some of these bands in the flesh tearing it up around the stages of the world.

Pre-orders and limited edition purple vinyl available exclusively Here

Author: Dom Daley

Señor No – ‘94/20’ (Bang! Records)

Señor No – ‘94/20’ (Bang! Records)

Influenced by the likes of Bored! Radio Birdman, Sonic’s Rendezvous Band, The Hellacopters as well as the MC5, Stooges and Motorhead this impressive list alone was more than enough to pique my interest and have me blasting out ‘94/20’, the all new eleven tracker from Spanish garage punks Señor No.

Having never heard of Señor No before and then discovering that not only do they sing in their native Basque tongue but also that the ‘94/20’ album title refers to the fact that this year is the band’s 26 year in the business only added to the intrigue.

Thankfully ‘94/20’ more than lives up to the mystery and PR hype and in fact just like albums I’ve raved about in the past by the likes of City Saints and Trust what really sets Señor No apart is the fact that the songs are being sung in the band’s native language as it actually adds to the band’s incredible sonic melting pot.  And boy what an intoxicating mix it is too. Yes, there are elements of all of the aforementioned bands that could be pulled from the tracks on offer here but for me it is the bark and sneer of singer Xabi Garre (a veteran of the local Basque rock scene) that really hammers home the band’s message. Even if I do have to refer to the English track listing on the band’s Facebook page to really get a grip of the self-styled Bukowski style street poetry the singer specialises in – this doesn’t spoil this musical rocket ride one iota.  In many ways this curiously reminds me of what a Basque Tyla fronting the MC5 singing songs about the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle might sound like, and one thing’s for sure, it will definitely require more than my usual “dos cervezas por favor” level of Spanish for me to fully understand.

So, with this in mind let me introduce you to Señor No’s ‘94/20’, an album chock full of musical twists and turns and yes, more than just a hint of mystery thanks to Xabi’s vocal stylings. With the band’s mission behind the record being to re-record and reimage songs from throughout their career to date.

Kicking off with ‘La Ruta Interior’ (The Interior Route) this is perhaps the nearest Señor No comes to the sonic jams of their Detroit heroes and the guitar interplay between Jorge Colldan and Joseba Baleztena at times really does bring to mind Smith and Kramer. For me its when the band really go for the throat like on ‘Déjate’ (Leave It) that they really click and here you can clearly pick out the Motorhead influence albeit with a little Poison Idea thrown in for good measure too.

Señor No are anything but a one trick punk rock piñata though, just take one listen to ‘Perra’ (Dog) where the guitar breakdown really will have you punching the air in celebration or the kooky time signature of ‘Meando En La Niebla’ (Piss In The Fog) that gives the track a real feelgood swig from the bottle kind of swing, all driven along by bassist Fumai and drummer Fosy who put in a superb shift throughout.

Bristling with energy and sounding like the very heartbeat of Basque punk rock ‘n’ roll ‘94/20’ should have by now seen Señor No tearing up and down the highways and byways of Europe in support of the record, that day I’m sure will eventually come, but in the meantime you can order your copy via the link below.  Glorious stuff!

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Various Artists – Tribute To Dead Moon (Ghost Highway Records/Chaputa! Records)

Various Artists – Tribute To Dead Moon (Ghost Highway Records/Chaputa! Records)

Dead Moon was formed in Portland, Oregon. They existed from 1987 to 2006, Featuring the talents of singer/guitarist Fred Cole,  bassist Kathleen “Toody” Cole, (Fred’s wife), and drummer Andrew Loomis. The Band toured Europe’s mainland which is where most of their support was to be fair.

They announced that they were breaking up with the last gig at the Vera club in Groningen late 2006. Fred and Toody owned and operated their own guitar shop, Tombstone Music, for 30 years and also ran the Tombstone General Store in Oregon for about eight years.

Sadly drummer, Andrew Loomis, died on March 8, 2016. at the young age of 54 then little over a year later Frontman Fred Cole died in the November 2017 at the age of 69 the band recorded just under a dozen albums as well as numerous live and compilation records and a heap of singles.

Nineteen of those tracks have lovingly been interpreted by the likes of The Hellacopters who do a stunning version of ‘Rescue’ to open up proceedings and take ownership doing a really neat Hellacopters job on owning the song. In fact of the bands I already knew well like Sator, Chuck Norris Experiment, “Demons”, Nomads, Lovesores, Marys Kids and King Mastino there were others I’ll hold my hands up to not being too familiar with and mixing up the bands is a great way to discover more ways to spend money on records.

 

As I disappear down the wormhole that is Dead Moon tribute album I’m not disappointed with the likes of Nomads who breath new life into the songs with passion and stunning interpretations of great tunes.  By the end of the record, I’ve come to the conclusion that maybe Dead Moon was one of those bands who were overlooked but clearly left something on a scene and have managed to have a chunk of their catalogue rediscovered by others who dare I say it made the tunes better!  There I’ve said it.

Side B featuring “Demons”, Fellow Portland rockers Lovesores, The Nomads, The Boatsmen and Monomen steal it on the line with the strongest performances (not that this is a competition I know that) but I love this group of songs and each performance is different and excellent.  There are one or two that didn’t sing to me like some of the others which I guess is natural some of the more Grunge interpretations maybe on side C like Dirty Coal Train and their take of ‘The 99’s’ reminds me of Sonic Youth but I loved La Secta and Buffalo with a dark garage take on ‘Dead In The Saddle’. The Brooms went psychedelic whilst Suicide Notes blew me away with ‘Johnny Got A Gun’ before King Mastino wrapped it all up nicely with a great ‘War Is Blind’.

If your not familiar with Dead Moon or any or many of these bands then I suggest you get involved quickly and check this out.  Ghost Highway always delivers quality and this is the latest in a long line and a wonderful journey of discovery it is too now we’ve given you the heads up what are you waiting for?  Get out of here!

 

Buy Tribute To Dead Moon Here

Chaputa! Records

GHOST HIGHWAY RECORDINGS VV.AA. Tribute To DEAD MOON. OUT NOW!

GHOST HIGHWAY RECORDINGS VV.AA. Tribute To DEAD MOON. OUT NOW!

19 bands paying tribute to Fred, Toody and Andrew

Limited Edition 2 x 10″ + Poster
500 copies black
500 copies white

 

A1: The HELLACOPTERS: Rescue
A2: The SEWERGROOVES: Clouds of Dawn
A3: SATOR: Dead Moon Night
A4: The CHUCK NORRIS EXPERIMENT: Walking on my Grave

B1: The NOMADS: Graveyard
B2: “DEMONS”: Out on a Wire
B3: LOVESORES: My Escape
B4: The BOATSMEN: Kicked Out Kicked In
B5: MONOMEN: 54-40 or Fight

C1: SONIC BEAT EXPLOSION: 40 Miles of Bad Road
C2: MUNLET: Sabotage
C3: DIRTY COAL TRAIN: The 99’s
C4: LA SECTA: Ricochet
C5: BUFFALO: Dead in The Saddle

D1: MARY’S KIDS: Ill of the Dead
D2: The BROOMS: Don’t Burn the Fires
D3: HOLY SHEEP: Psychodelic Nightmare
D4: SUICIDE NOTES: Johnny’s Got a Gun
D5: KING MASTINO: War is Blind

 

Orders: www.ghosthighwayshop.com

Mastering for vinyl pressing at El Cubo Studio by Ina S. Gerons
Liner Notes by Jay Martin
Sleeve artwork by Mik Baro
Poster artwork by Rui Ricardo

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That was the week that was…

That was the week that was…

Well, we certainly didn’t stand still in the last seven days as we brought you reviews from a range of artist old and new with The Lemonheads starting things off with the second studio album of cover versions entitled ‘Varshons 2‘.  As Evan Dando and Co, head out on a UK tour this week to promote the record RPM gave it the thumbs up as Dando led the band through some pretty diverse waters.  Westerberg, Cave and the Eagles all made it onto the record which as an aside came out in a scented banana yellow version as well.

 

 

It was also a week that saw two live albums hit the death decks at RPM with Metallica lending a ‘Helping Hand’ Where they released a double album with proceeds going to a most admirable cause and helping the most vulnerable in society a real genuine act of kindness that doesn’t get the exposure it truly deserves as the rock stars are often castigated for their excesses but seldom praised when they do reach out with a simple yet effective act of kindness.  So a huge well done from us at RPM as Johnny H gets stuck into the double slice of vinyl trouble.

 

 

The second of our live reviews came when Martin gave The Godfather a good seeing to with their fantastic ‘This Is War’ the once over. describing it as, “Loud Sharp and Beautiful”, is about as close a summery as you can get.  It’s fair to say that it damn near captures the current line up right at the top of their game.  It’s certainly raw it’s certainly loud and no question it has the Godfathers roaring on all cylinders and has you wondering why all live albums can’t sound this good.  Essential listening no doubt about it.

We also brought you a summary of this years Gathering from North Wales as Mike Peters and the Alarm romped through a huge chunk of their back catalogue over two nights with plenty of special guests that included original Alarm Guitar player Dave Sharp, from Texas Ryan Hamilton and 80’s pop rockers Mark Shaws then Jerico. This year’s festivities weren’t without incident as the PA went down twice but it didn’t deter PEters who climbed into the audience with his acoustic guitar and un mic’d got the audience singing along and making the most out of a potentially bad situation and making it a memorable evening no doubt about it.  Gathering twenty-Seven was again a privilege to attend and I can’t wait for 2020 and number twenty Eight.

We also brought you The Spangles album launch show from way up North otherwise known as Harrogate as Ben Hughes had an equally splendid evening with an immensely talented band playing one hell of a debut album.  I for one hope there is a lot more to come from these three guys because their album was easily one of 2018 best releases.

As far as news goes we joined the rock world in wishing Bernie Torme a speedy recovery from his hospitalization from double Pneumonia and hope he’s back to full health as soon as possible. The same for our Australian friend Hayden McGoogan from The Black Heart Breakers who also found himself in Hospital this past week – Get yourselves fit and health please gents and I’m sure I speak for all the writers at RPM in wishing you both speedy full recoveries.

There was also some superb festival news as The Dead Boys were announced as headliners for this year’s Rebellion Festival in Blackpool along with Walter Lure who will be playing L.A.M.F. at the festival and across the channel in Belgium Sjock Festival announced a raft of superb bands added to this years festival including RPM favourites The Hip Priests and Barstool Preachers who play alongside The Hives, Hellacopters, Electric Frankenstein, the Briefs  and Gluecifer. To be fair news wise last week was a bumper week for great rock n roll news.

 

Anyway, that was last week on RPM and as we are always looking forward here’s what you can expect this coming week on the website. We’ve got a couple of bumper interviews with the likes of Slyder from Last Great Dreamers as they announce a lot of dates for 2019 in what appears to be a hugely busy year for the band.  Also, we have a monster interview with “Demons” Matheus Carlsson which should see your Friday seem a lot more enjoyable as we spoke about the past present and future of the band in what also looks like a great year for the band.

As for album reviews we’re once again scouring the globe for great bands and we’ve certainly got those coming at you with the debut long player from ‘Wet Dreams’ reviewed today by Johnny H and there is also the long-awaited long player from Jim Jones & the Righteous Mind’ coming later this week as ‘CollectiV’ has certainly been entertaining RPM HQ and what will be one of the years top albums no question about that. We also look back on some significant happenings this coming week in punk, rock and pop music history so keep it RPM folks for all your turbocharged Rock n Roll!

Stay Sick,

L-U-V RPM