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Review: Jack Foley
IF CULT Japanese film director, Takashi Miike (of Audition/Ichi
The Killer fame), decided to make music, then this is probably
what it might sound like.
Electric Eel Shock are to rock 'n' roll, what Takashi is to extreme
cinema - needless to say, a tad excessive.
To say that they are eccentric is a little bit of an understatement.
Their drummer, Gian, likes to swallow his sticks as a party trick,
while Aki &and Kazuto, the guitarist & bassist, accordingly,
are no less wild.
Needless to say, their album comes across as a full-on assault
on the ear-drums - so much so that, heard live, it would probably
make them bleed.
Subtlety is thrown out the window from the word go; for this
is like listening to a rough and ready rock group who have just
hijacked a recording studio, in downtown Tokyo, and let their
childish instincts run riot.
But then what else could you expect from a track listing which
includes such curious efforts as Waaaa, Punctured and Puma?
Oh, and they clearly love rock 'n' roll, for the term features
in four of their song titles, just in case we weren't sure of
what genre we are listening to.
As you might have guessed, at this point, I'm not really a fan,
but then Electric Eel Shock probably won't appeal to many people
other than fellow rock/metal extremists, with their eye on something
a little offbeat. That said, they do have a cult following.
It is worth noting, however, that the band mastered their new
album at Townhouse Studios, in London, having recorded it in west
London over Christmas, at 2Khz Studios. It followed a 14-month
world tour.
And while some of the guitar work is good, and the production
values are as sharp as you might expect, it's sort of apt that
one of their tracks is called S.O.S - for that is what
you might be sending out after listening!
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Track listing:
1. Suicide Rock 'n' Roll
2. Vegas Night
3. Rock 'n' Roll Can Rescue The World
4. Zombie Rock 'n' Roll
5. Waaaa
6. Puma
7. S.O.S
8. Mathesar
9. Nothing
10. Punctured
11. Japanese Meets Chinese in USA
12. Joyride Rock 'n' Roll
13. Joe Speedy Joe
14. Do The Metal
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