Grenades In The Archives – “Dressed Up Like Armageddon”
Grenades In The Archives is a band I’ve only seen once but they did very much impress me. Their songs are like firecrackers going off in your pants. And besides the carnage, this means you’re in for a pretty exciting time.
I reviewed them live and described them as, “punk with a creative edge with a sound looking back to non-commercial new wave of the eighties.” In their bandcamp they tag “hard rock punk rock whiskey garage rock” and I like their description much better except, maybe I like my firecracker part more.
One could also say their sound is firecrackers going off inside your head. It’s abrasive, aggressive and wild and they would fit in well with the noise crew if they weren’t so damn energetic.
I saw them play with the band Unlisted and I thought it was a good pairing. And though they really don’t sound alike, both bands play dissonant, creative music with a bunch of guts and energy that I feel deserve the moniker of punk. Because they sound like firecrackers going off in your mind, spine, larynx and reproductive organs.
While I sweep up the blood, bones and various vital organs, let’s put the needle to the record and give it a spin.
(You can find their songs below.)
After a few rhythm section hits and a guitar note that seems stuck like a stylus, “Run It Again” kicks in with upbeat, slammin’ drums, stop and go bass and guitar that scratches discordantly and dissonantly against the restraints of the song. This sets up nicely the near hysterical vocals that dips and dives through octaves until loosing all control towards the end. Then the music descends, as we go over a cliff with the tempo accelerating as an erupting crescendo bubbles up, and we pick ourselves off the floor- grateful to withstand and survive the power of this great song.
“Funzo” starts with a fun riff that hits like an exclamation point on the last beat of each line. This song has a hint of Devo on its breathe. “We get dressed up for the weekends/ Drinking beer under the bleachers/ Whacking off and then we sleep in.” A descending three chord chorus explodes right before our eyes as we go carousing around, looking for a good time. A short jolt of energy, passion and crunch delivers a great tune while you’re investigating.
This is not the classic song “Lights Out” by the Angry Samoans but what we get is a song worthy enough of the same name. After a hi-hat hissing like a snake and a few bam-bam-bam accents, a riff not unlike Ministry rears its viperous fangs. A vocal that yelps expressively enters the scene sounding like a mix of Lux Interior of The Cramps, Jeffery Pierce of Gun Club and Frank Black of The Pixies. The riff keeps revolving like an evil ferris wheel out of control while the drums and bass push mightily and the guitar slashes or dissolves in contaminated radiation. This song is a punchin’, poppin’, no-holds barred slice of industrial punk perfection.
“Groovin’ To KBBL” starts with a groove that has a bass that sounds like a hornet trapped in a confined place while the beat buzzes along. With the drums hitting decisively and the guitar feeding back into oblivion, an ominous vibe leads to a passionate, catastrophic chorus that pulverizes us repeatedly with passion. Another hit that just keeps on coming.
These guys toss a few musical explosives your way and maybe they decimate the boundaries of what you expect a punk band to sound like. No need to convince me because I welcome them into the fold.
But if you’re looking for punk with a more adventuresome twist, then I’d say this is the place to look.
Me, I’ve been looking for love in all the wrong places. I looked under the bed, behind the dresser bureau, then I spotted it on the window sill.
I had it in my grasp but while washing my hands it, inadvertently, it got washed down the drain.
But I did find Grenades In The Archives. And what I found was a lot of what I love in music- rough, raw, wild noise played with a lot of passion and guts.
Did I mention about the firecrackers?
(Slimedog)
