The Hangmen

Loteria (Acetate)
by Brian Varney

Kinda like Supersuckers if the punk background were replaced by glam rock/hair metal and plenty of L.A. vibe, The Hangmen sound and look like guys (and gal) who used to live for Aquanet, spandex, and fishnets but now just wanna make Stones and Faces records. Plenty of bands have tried this before (Buckcherry leaps immediately to mind), though The Hangmen do it better than most. Bryan Small’s vocals employ a lazily snarling drawl that lets you know he’s listened to a Stones album or 20 in his time, and the band effortlessly blends a post-punk/metal rocker attack with power-chord leads and the snaky grooves that this sort of rock cannot survive without. They cover Stones album cut “Citadel,” although considering the L.A. through-and-through vibe from these guys, I wouldn’t be surprised if they heard the Redd Kross version first. That’s not an insult, by the way, just an observation taking into consideration age, geography, obvious musical antecedents, etc. I certainly hope it’s no sin to like both Redd Kross and The Rolling Stones, because if so, I’m guilty as hell.
(www.acetate.com)