The New Czars - Doomsday Revolution

The New Czars - Doomsday Revolution
2010, Samson Records

The New Czars have spent significant parts of their careers supporting other artists. Various members have spent time working with Alice Cooper, Puddle Of Mudd, Bruce Dickinson, Courtney Love, Lita Ford and Pink. Now singer/guitarist Greg Hampton, bassist Paul Ill and drummer David “Chilli” Moreno have stepped out on their own as The New Czars. Over time working with artists, the men of The New Czars started developing some of their own musical ideas. These ideas come to fruition on September 14, 2010 with the release of Doomsday Revolution.

Doomsday Revolution opens with "Keep On Goin'", a heavy rocker toward the crevice between mainstream alt-rock and Nine Inch Nails. The energy is solid, and there is a catchy hook or two buried in the sound but in the end it sounds a bit contrived. "Confessions" has more of the breakneck approach you might expect from The New Czars; driven and powerful rock and roll with no apologies and no punches pulled. "So Sure" is commercially viable heavy rock with a heavily pop-oriented chorus. It's product that will sell but doesn't necessarily reflect high quality songwriting. "Abstract Prague" is a cut-and-paste rock instrumental allowing guitarist Hampton to create some aural chaos. Full of riffs, runs and noises with little sense of progression, melody or continuity, its guitar-players self-indulgence. "Doomsday Revolution" is the catchiest track on the disc; falling closer to 1980's MTV hair metal than modern rock. "Doomsday Revolution" lacks any pretension and is the more enjoyable track on the disc for its lack. The New Czars close out with two instrumentals, "Funky Detour" and "Crotch Critters" that attest to the bands sense of sound over song.

The New Czars make a couple of real attempts at music with commercial legs on Doomsday Revolution, but generally fall into the musical cauldron where unguided self-interest and a lack of distinct musical direction meet. The result is an unfocused and surprisingly un-inspired performance. The loosest moment comes on the title track when The New Czars let their hair down and pay homage to their roots in early-1980's pop/metal, but even here there's a detachment that is somewhat frustrating. The New Czars seem to have talent, but still seem so fascinated with what they can do with their instruments to really explore how. Things will get more interesting once they make that transition.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about The New Czars at www.myspace.com/thenewczars or http://www.greghampton.com/. Doomsday Revolution drops on September 14, 2010.  You can pre-order the CD from Amazon.com.

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.

Review: Under Your Bed - Under Your Bed

Under Your Bed – Under Your Bed
2008, Under Your Bed

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s Under Your Bed was born in a coffee-house open mic night in 2005, when guitarist Jim Marchione saw vocalist Elissa Sapp perform with “an acoustic guitar that was bigger than she was”. The voice and charisma that poured out of that tiny little vocalist impressed Marchione, and the seeds for Under Your Bed were born. Adding Brayne Jennings (bass), Zach Brown (drums) and Jon Rossi (rhythm guitar) over a period of time helped to flesh out both the sound and the creative process of Under Your Bed. The culmination (thus far), is the CD Under Your Bed (self-titled), released in 2008. Compared to bands like No Doubt, David Bowie and Stone Temple Pilots, Under Your Bed also works in a little bit of old school punk attitude and energy.

Under Your Bed opens with Unmanageable, with lead vocalist Elissa Sapp sounding like a cross between Gwen Stefani (in her No Doubt days) and Courtney Love. Unmanageable is a perfect introduction to Sapp and the rest of Under Your Bed. The song is anthemic for a lost generation and completely in the spirit of the classic punk bands of the 1970’s without sounding dated. Sapp revs up the adrenaline with Leave The Lights On, a great Rock N Roll come on song. Shut Your Trap shows the band in full frenzy with Sapp like a tigress on the prowl. This is a classic song and likely to be a concert favorite. My favorite song on the disc is Inertia, which is built around one of the nastiest guitar licks you’ll find. Full of great hooks and a sing-a-long chorus, Inertia would have real commercial potential. Be sure to check out Piss On My Parade and S.F.I. (So F### It) for your fill of classic punk attitude.

Under Your Bed could be many things to many people. They are a punk band, an alt-rock band. A melodic hard rock band or Modern Rock band. Vocalist Sapp is a charismatic front woman with a voice that grabs your attention, but Jim Marchione really drives the sound here; an excellent guitar player with some highly creative tendencies in song construction. Under Your Bed is a fun listen and mostly hits the right notes on their debut, Under Your Bed. It’s definitely worth checking out.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Under Your Bed at www.underyourbedmusic.com or www.myspace.com/underyourbedcpr. You can purchase a copy of Under Your Bed at www.cdbaby.com/cd/underyourbed.