Program the Dead - Psycho Teenage Lust

Program the Dead - Dumpster Diving for Love

Atlanta locals Program the Dead seem to be trying to cut and paste a laundry list of rock sounds in one package, which isn’t an impossible feat, but their latest EP Calling the Snakes trails off and loses steam once the band tries to venture out and conquer new territory. They establish their strengths with the first two tracks, only to dismiss them and introduce some half-hearted attempts at more radio-friendly work. Listening to “When You See Me” is like listening to a Who ballad gone wrong, derailed by an insipid chorus and a “no-brainer” guitar solo.

Some songs, like the opener “Psycho Teenage Lust” sound like a down-tuned Raw Power-era Stooges with a horror element. The next track, “Dumpster Diving for Love,” is fast and ominous, with crunchy guitars played through muddy amplification like what you hear on Kyuss’ Wretch. The vocals are bitter and sardonic, and Matt James’ voice resonates well with the sludgy rock and roll backdrop they’ve created. It’s a strange mixture, but it’s probably their most striking and pronounced feature

“Comin’ Down” is a return to the sleazy rock and roll revelry you’re supposed to expect from a band like this. However, the song takes a nose-dive as the band tries to counter-balance their hard edges with some airy noodling. I’m aware the song is about, well, “coming down,” but the “down” aspect is obviously not their strong suit. If only there were some mediator between PTD’s harsh moments and those more gentle, then the album would be less of a sloppy push-pull routine, and more a solid composition.

The record’s finisher, “Shoot the Moon” is another pseudo-ballad, an ethereal melodramatic question mark that could be placed at the end of any these sentences: “What happened to the rock?” “Where’d the swagger go?” “Ozzfest or Warped Tour?”

Program the Dead need to understand that a jack of all trades is often a master of none.

 Buy Program The Dead’s Other Discs Here

If you think you have a musical GPS system in your head, then after the first listen of Vincent Black Shadow’s More Deeper you’ll probably pin them under Detroit or somewhere else in Michigan as I did at first. It was my mistake to assume that none of that exhaust emanating from VBS could be from Baltamont, Maryland. Vincent Black Shadow chooses to pay homage to horsepower by bearing the same name as a 1950s motorcycle, a badass vintage speed demon, and potential infringement aside, I believe VBS deserves this title. It just makes sense. There’s plenty of fuzzy guitar wailing, savage throaty vocals, and high-energy psychedelic acid rock to remind you of bands like Boris, Nebula, or Fu Manchu. Frontman Adam Savage also employs the lewdness factor of proto-punk veterans the Stooges. This band kicks out jams like MC5, and gets as furiously funky as Deep Purple, but with speed instead of weed (”Dome City,” “Restless,” “Pac Man Jones”).

Sadly, there are only nine tracks of rock ‘n rolly goodness on More Deeper, cut just short enough to make you crave more. I’m already itching to go see them play live This type of energy demands a better environment than my bedroom. The album was recorded live in the studio and on analog tape, so if you subscribe to all that is loud, dirty, and raw, then you will definitely be pleased with More Deeper. Sure, there are plenty of other bands who boast this super-charged vintage rock sound, but Vincent Black Shadow indulges in it and savors each moment. If you’re into major catchy and groovy hooks, VBS makes sure you get your fix, and sometimes they will beat the rhythm into your head like a brutal hardcore assault (”Volume One,” “Wooden Kimono”). This album is like getting drugged, mugged, and being driven through a tunnel of strobe-lights and razors…if that sounds like something you may not be into, you will be, just give it a spin. “OH YEAH!”

Vincent Black Shadow - Volume One

Vincent Black Shadow - Shamanix

Buy the record here