Electric Frankenstein

The Buzz of 100 Volts! (Victory)
by Craig Regala

OK, I whore out pretty hard for these guys, but really, this is a good one. Why? Because it’s got hefty, ballbuster, mid-tempo tunes pulling good stuff from rock history. Meaning: There are cool stripper tunes here! Honest! Just like Motörhead’s “Killed By Death” or Priest’s “Livin After Midnight” or AC/DC’s, uh, whole career, the riffs hook the shoulders, the drums catch the back-end, the bass pumps around the rhythm guitar and off goes the belly shirt! Wha-hoo! No, it’s not a hair metal redux, it just works the physical terrain more than the fast stuff, which hasn’t been ditched but crafted for impact.

Look, the Dead Boys were my favorite band from ’79-’83, all my friends liked ‘m (metal guys, rockers, punks), and they got as much play as the Ramones first four, Bon and the Boys, Roth-era Van Halen, the first two Def Leppard recs, Motörhead’s Iron Fist, etc. Electric Frankenstein hits like Dead Boys. Now, there may not be much “progress” inherent in that, but really, so what?! Rock and roll’s a folk form which includes all the “nü and improved” whatknot as well as those cruisin’ its history for what gets ‘m off. How does one measure “progress” anyway? Yeah, I realize culture morphs to fit personal and cultural conditions, but don’t let a new coat of paint fool you: Tattoos and piercings* (‘m inked and jabbed and at least I can take out the metal. Jesus, every fucking retard who’s sat under a needle finds it necessary to either talk to me like they know me or actually touch me. Joke’s on me.) are the spandex and big hair of this era, production is a treatment of sound not the actual music, and having roots means it’s harder to blow over when the winds of fashion and commerce turn against you.
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