The Dukes Of Bordello « The RingMaster Review

The tail end of last year saw the attention seizing arrival of German outfit Blast Bomb on the punk ‘n’ roll scene with debut single Born To Lose. Offering up three ravenous slices of heavy rabid rock ‘n’ roll, the release announced the Hamburg hailing quintet as one explosive proposition. Since then the band has made a just as striking and powerful impact on the live scene, sharing stages with the likes of Honeymoon Disease, Conan, Monolord, El Colosso, and Grumpynators along the way. With their reputation seemingly growing by the week, Blast Bomb is poised to release the Burn History & Live Today; an encounter confirming them a feral trespass of sound rather easy to devour and be excited by.

Blast Bomb emerged early 2017 as a project when guitarists Torben and Klaus, bassist Kai, and drummer Tobi came together though the foursome had played together in various permutations and outfits including notably High Gain District and Skull Harvest across previous years. Swiftly they enlisted former Thirteen Shots vocalist and founder Johnny Rose and together honed a sound which is an aggressively imposing and irritable yet instinctively contagious collusion of punk and hard rock with varied metal bred essences. Born To Lose soon proved it was an ear grabbing proposal which demands attention but fair to say as potent as that release was, it has been fiercely eclipsed by Burn History & Live Today in adventure and imagination let alone raw confrontation.

Recorded by Franz Schedlbauer at No Moss Studio and across its quartet of songs lyrically inspired and linked by the emotions and desire leading to Rose’s resettlement in German from England a couple of years ago, the EP swiftly reveals bolder imagination in sound and enterprise through opener Gambler. From an initial bike throated rumble, the band’s new single swaggers in with a hungry groove and rapaciously swinging beats. That grooving continues to bait as things evolve, getting under the skin as Rose’s distinctive tones bring their equally compelling invitation to the hook loaded rock ‘n’ roll incitement. Also spilling a horror punk scent over its punk ‘n’ roll instincts, the track provides a web of old school nurtured but intrusively fresh confrontation while increasingly building on its creative hand.

The following Stray prowls ears with an almost portentous air as it makes its entrance; its threat escalating by the riff and chord as the growling bass of Kai and scything swings of Tobi bring greater imposing texture and attitude to the senses challenging encounter. Stoner spicing adds to its character, further flavouring an inescapable intensity in sound and emotion as well as another inventive aspect to the Blast Bomb sound before Burn History bounds in with devious hooks and snarling riffs amidst an eager ferociousness quickly sparking blues flamed spirals of guitar. This all springs into a spicily searing glaze of sonic liquor which subsequently triggers a repetition of the song’s opening whirl of irresistible hookery and in turn a horror punk lined stalking. With imagination and drama growing in every persuasive note and vocal twist, the track rivals the first in best song honours.

Live Today concludes the release, its gentle opening saunter easily luring the imagination, seducing as guitars and bass unite in an even tempered invitation unsurprisingly carrying an edge and suggestive volatility. That aural simmering eventually erupts in a caustic wind of sound though it is still held with a restraint which escalates the intrigue and creative nature of the song.

It is a fine end to a release which confirms Blast Bomb as one exciting prospect and though you can sense that their sound is still evolving, finding its true voice it just adds to their striking and very welcome intrusion on the punk/rock scene.

Burn History & Live Today is released via Undead Artists on November 2^nd with pre-ordering available now @ https://blastbomb.bandcamp.com/releases

Upcoming live shows:

19/10 Kapovaz, Bremerhaven*

20/10 MAD Music Club, Backyard23 Social Club e.V., Hameln*

04/11 Bambi galore, Hamburg+

* with The Dukes Of Bordello + with Castle – Metal Band

https://www.facebook.com/pg/blastbombhamburg

Pete RingMaster 16/10/2018

To convince and prove that physical and emotional rock ‘n’ roll stomping is one of the primal instincts inside us all UK trio The Dukes Of Bordello release their debut album. Lowdown ‘N’ Dirty offers up eleven tracks of balls swinging, voracious rock ‘n’ roll which not so much lives up to its title than stamps it relentlessly into the heart. It is an encounter leaving the body and soul breathless with music which quite simply could and will seriously arouse the world around it.

Consisting of guitarist/vocalist Andy Barrott, bassist/vocalist Sion Bailey, and drummer Caradoc Tyler, The Dukes Of Bordello grab the most tenacious and infectious muscular traits from every aspect of rock music you can imagine. Rockabilly, punk rock, hard rock, and psychobilly all lay among numerous strains mixed with pure rock ‘n’ roll revealing its various decades of evolution. It results in a sound which seems familiar, like an old friend, but hits and incites with something new and bold at every twist and turn. It is dirty and trashy, inventive and skilfully resourceful like a mix of The Wildhearts, Danish outfit Grumpynators, and Canadian duo The Black Frame Spectacle and fuelling one hell of a first full-length to build on the well-received release of their 7 track self-financed Skullduggery EP/mini album of 2014.

Released physically via Death Or Glory Records and digitally by Undead Artists Records, Lowdown ‘N’ Dirty quickly shows why The Dukes Of Bordello have been firing up zealous support through gigs and festivals these past couple of years with opener All In The Name Of Rock’N’Roll. Instantly a feverish hook lays its claim to ears as the song swings into view, rhythms soon thumping their persistence as vocals incite with their own anthemic roar. Not for the last time, the twanging bass of Bailey is manna for these particular instincts and passions, it’s dulled but vibrant throb the pulsating vein around which the guitar of Barrott flames and sears the senses. The song itself is exactly as it says on the tin, seeded in and brewed with the same intent and swiftly commanding a mutual energy and involvement from body and spirit of the listener, thoughts easily imagining from the encounter alone that the band live is a dangerously commanding puppeteer of energy and stamina.

The following Hellvis is no different, a devilish infestation of ears and hips with an organic demand of both as swinging beats and biting hooks infest with a bordering on toxic infectiousness. As its predecessor, in some ways there is open familiarity to the track yet nothing about it is anything other than new and unpredictable; the same applying to next up Doing Just Enough, a slice of throbbing rockabilly nurtured romping swinging from controlled strolling to unbridled gang vocal arousal with fluid ease.

Wreckin’ Ball (Into The Pit) has a psychobilly snarl to its ballsier incitement straight after, vocals and rhythms again leading the addictive punk scented resourcefulness of the rapacious song though that steely yet almost primordial tone and character of Bailey’s bass is the prime fingering of lust sparked.

Through the addiction laying Down In The Gutter with its wiry groove woven web of boisterous hook ridden seduction and the stalking revelry of King Of The Road the album only tightens its grip. The first is an out and out stomper whilst its outstanding successor is a predacious but again relentlessly contagious compulsion on ear and heart with its dirty tarmac eating, heavy rock pounding drive. Classic and hard rock collude with more rockabilly/psycho nurtured exploits, it all coming together in a ravenous adventure before She’s My Witch shares its sultry hex like a rabidly seductive temptress with bold energy seized rhythmic hips and sonically flirtatious devilment at work. As the previous song, it quickly has a hand on best song honours, eventually having to share but never relinquishing a finger on the prize even as tracks like The Devil Rides Out feverishly serenade the imagination with its smouldering heart but forceful ingenuity. Eventually coming to its own head of ear rushing rock ‘n’ roll, the beguiling encounter has the body hooked and bouncing with increasing dexterity; the passions again in tow.

Come Back Wilko (All Is Forgiven) simply sparks with the enterprise and tenacity not forgetting the richness of rock ‘n’ roll found in its name checked inspirations; hitting and repeatedly pushing the sweet spot from start to finish while Born To Die ‘steals’ from a host of classic encounters to inspire its own distinct and individual bluesy espionage guiding body and spirit to fresh reactions and inhibition free arousals.

Bringing the album to a mighty finish, Scream If You Wanna Go Faster is a rollercoaster of virulent rock ‘n’ roll with a sizeable line in pop rock and rockabilly infectiousness which as you would rightly assume is quite irresistible leaving the lungs gasping for air and a greed for more rushing back to the play button.

In many ways it is hard to say that Lowdown ‘N’ Dirty is particularly unique yet in the same way it is impossible to say there is anything predictable or previously well-worn about it. The Dukes Of Bordello have a sound and presence which is as fresh and arousing as anything out there and now an album which will firmly slap the band on the biggest rock ‘n’ roll maps.

Lowdown ‘N’ Dirty is out now physically through Death Or Glory Records and @ http://thedukesofbordello.bigcartel.com/product/skullduggery with its digital outing courtesy of Undead Artists Records @ https://undeadartists.bandcamp.com/album/lowdown-n-dirty