Stiff Arm
Master of the Universe
By Scott Deckman
It’s 10 and a half minutes long, and yes, the first two songs sound a lot alike, and yes, you could say it’s somewhat derivative, and yes, I don’t care: Stiff Arm’s four-song Master of the Universe is a good 10 minutes of garagey punk. Opener “Dog Toy” rocks in ways you’re supposed to. On title song “Master of the Universe,” band proprietor Steven Sauter’s vocals recall Ace Frehley’s on Kiss’ cover of the Rolling Stones’ “2000 Man,” but the music is akin to a darker “Need You Around” by the Smoking Popes, while “Í Should’ve Known” is a homage to Nirvana’s “Negative Creep,” whether intentional (probably) or not. The EP features a processed guitar crunch. Sauter plays everything on the record except the drums. Antecedents? Maybe a little Misfits mk. II and a pinch of Ministry Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed & the Way to Suck Eggs (the guitar for both), a smidge of the Hives or Von Bondies, and possibly countless other heavy garagey, loud punky bands with industrial-sounding six strings. This is the type of stuff that should be on Big Dumb Rock commercial radio, not all that other crap. And yes, I don’t care anymore. Have a listen. I’m out.
