When I read the…er…concept behind this lot of filthy Canadian bikers trapped in the seventies I was kinda intrigued. Visions of the musical soundtrack to some lost drive-in biker fodder about a drug crisis in Spurcity certainly appealed and their visuals certainly stirred a little nostalgia in me for such classics as Satan’s Sadists, Hells Angels On Wheels or even such weirdness as She-Devils On Wheels and the utterly wonderful Psychomania… [of which the Death Wheelers is an alternative title ED]
Have to admit the PR sheet kind of used a scattergun of potential sounds but with a synthwave crashing into doom intro before the gloriously titled ‘Ditchfinder General’ cranks up it was already showing its flair and variation, so stamping into gear….
First things; they are, barring samples, an instrumental group and this first track proper is a real bluesy, stoner gallop. The bass is so low and loose it sounds like gravel being spewed up by the back wheel and the riff charges on into the dust until it.. rests in a ditch for a quiet contemplative moment, a joint, a beer, and then cranks up again with a passing feel of a Mexican kind of metal mariachi band. It’s great high energy stuff, nice and filthy and sweaty and full of engine grease. Kind of Karma to Burn crossed with Tito And Tarantula with a nice and greasy helping of The Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovel.
On the frankly superb title track, with its great 70s feel and pace changing they throw a little more punked up vibe, a dash of early Motorhead and a weird smidgen of The Cramps in the melodic little runs. It a real ‘live’ no bullshit feel to it all, caught in the studio just rocking out.
‘Lobotomobile’ has one of those cat prowling, sashaying bass lines and some sharp guitar winding leisurely down its own little punky road. ‘Corps Morts’ drags it backwards through a graveyard on a rat bike falling to bits in the grinding bass. AH, this is fun…
Interspersed with brief film samples, as you’d expect, this really hangs together well as a complete whole. It pretty much does what it intends – a soundtrack to a mad, dirty hell on wheels film full of deep, dirty blues, Mexican and Texas drawl and a rattling punked up satanic cowboy biker attitude. It makes me smile and long for gigs as this should be fantastic live.
Cheer yourself up and…. Get on yer hogs and ride….
(7.5/10 Gizmo)
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