Review: Foxfire - Early Rising

Foxfire - Early Rising
2008, Sludgehammer Records

Marietta, Georgia's Foxfire is a classic power trio born from the early 1970's Garage Metal movement. If the Runaways got into an alley fight with Courtney Love and Hole and put together a band from whoever was standing at the end then you might have something a bit like Foxfire. Big guitar sound and structure are the key elements here; melody and composition are almost secondary on Early Rising, the band's debut CD. Vocalist Rachel Collins has a decent Rock/Metal voice, engaging the same rasp that made Janis Joplin a household name but without the same tone or color.

I've listened through this album several times now, and I struggle to find even one track that really stands out from the rest. That's not an indication that the album is bad, it's solid and fairly uniform throughout. The sound has a definite Lo-Fi flavor, sounding like it may have been recorded in one or two takes in a concrete room with minimal production gloss. The sound is true to the nature of the band, who are probably better appreciated in a live setting. In a bar, with the amps turned way up, Foxfire can create a wall of sound through sheer force. On CD, it just doesn't carry quite as well, with the music sounding a bit thin and a bit too much like so much that's gone before.

Early Rising isn't a bad album, but there also isn't anything specific about it that elevates it to memorable status. Early Rising represents solid work from a solid band.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Foxfire at http://www.foxfirerocks.com/. You can pick up a copy of Early Rising at www.cdbaby.com/cd/foxfiresongs2.

Review: Weapons Of Pleasre - Weapons Of Pleasure

Weapons Of Pleasure - Weapons Of Pleasure
2009, Warehouse Records/Weapons Of Pleasure

Weapons Of Pleasure makes its home in the San Francisco Bay Area, but members come from as far away as New Orleans. The band has built quite a buzz touring on the west coast; now comes their debut EP, Weapons Of Pleasure. Weapons Of Pleasure is Vanessa (vox, bass); Reno (guitars/vox), A.J. (lead guitar) and Jeff (drums).

Weapons Of Pleasure opens with Hail!, an upbeat guitar rocker that will get your feet moving and sounds a bit like 1980's New Wave Pop. Bring Your Love kicks off on a fuzzy bass line and a frenetic, post-punk arrangement. Daredevil finds vocalist Vanessa sounding a bit like Courtney Love in her Hole days. Daredevil has a real Lo-Fi sound and the attitude to match. Now You See it pulls in more of a 1970's guitar rock aesthetic, complete with hand claps, but transitions into pure New Wave on the bridge. The EP closes out with big guitar rocker Burn, kicking up a rock conflagration on the way out the door.

Weapons Of Pleasure have their feet in several sub-genres or Rock N Roll, including classic rock, Punk and Grunge. Their debut EP, Weapons Of Pleasure is a mix and uneven collection of five songs that show the tendrils of sound the band is working their way through. There's real potential here, and I'd bet that Weapons Of Pleasure take no prisoners on stage. Give them a little more time playing and recording together and I suspect a more cohesive sound will emerge. For right now they are raw Rock N Roll in several of its most seminal forms.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Weapons Of Pleasure at http://www.weaponsofpleasure.com/ or www.myspace.com/weaponsofpleasure. You can purchase a copy of Weapons Of Pleasure at www.cdbaby.com/cd/weaponsop3.