Bass Drum Of Death take a back-to-basics approach on their new album, Six, out this week via Cobraside Records. It harkens back to their earlier, more lo-fi and raw recordings. The results are a striking return to form for this long running garage-punk band.
Just giving a cursory listen to the album, you can hear this is a raw and nasty affair. The guitars are pushed way to the front and allowed to slash, burn, and feed back. It’s way less polished and more-in-your face, as compared to the few albums that preceded it. It feels like they’re tapping the source of some primal, fuzzed-out rock ‘n’ roll.
All I really need to say is, this album fucking rocks. I could leave it there, but for the sake of word-count, and giving you a more detailed description of why it “fucking rocks,” I’ll delve a bit more into the album.
“Phantom Drip” open the album with a catchy, propulsive riff and proceeds to rock out like a motherfucker, setting you up for what is to come. “Never Gonna Drink About You” and “Pick Em Up And Put Em Down” are short, sweet, garage-punk barn-burners. “Got A Feeling” is bolstered by a nasty riff and a hip-shaking groove. “Zeroed Out” is another propulsive, riff-fueled monster. “Living In My Head” sounds like a rawer, burlier ZZ Top.
“Night Ride,” which closes out the album, is the perfect song to partake in the activity listed in its title. It just rides out into the night, on several extended guitar solos, and a head-nodding groove. At 5:05, it’s the longest song on the album, and it shows BDOD, pushing their sound a bit.
Six is a hard-charging return to form for BDOD. By returning to their roots, they’ve managed to map out a path to their future. If you love bands like The Stooges and their ilk (like I do), you’ll love this album. Though, it must be mentioned it is no mere carbon copy of what has come before. They put their own spin on this kind of timeless music. It’s easily one of the best rock records of the year.
So, you know, it fucking rocks.
Buy Six here.
