Review Summary: Not even a swarm of blood thirsty zombies can stop Blazin' Entrails, because they own a flamethrower for situations such as that...
Sometimes before hearing a band play for the first time their name can offer you some insight into what they might sound like. One such band that has name surrounded with intrigue is Australia’s own Blazin’ Entrails. After enjoying their self titled EP in early 2011 I was quite interested to see what they could bring to the table next time around. Now they have returned with the brand new EP ‘Los Barstos’ that is guaranteed to get your feet tapping.
To say that Blazin’ Entrails are absurd would be nothing short of an understatement. Their unique blend of sci-fi influenced rocka/punkabilly is something to be commended. Although their brand of rock plays like an old rock n’ roll performance they are very much up with the times. ‘Los Barstos’ kicks off with the exciting and infectious ‘Flamethrower’, which makes you ready to grab a blow torch and start roasting zombies from the get-go. A blistering guitar solo floats in and out of this fast upbeat rockabilly offering, with a chant ‘use a flamethrower, when you ain’t got time to move’; this is a perfect example of the lyrical insanity that exists on this album. Lead singer and front man Caleb Merrey delivers his lyrics through speedy attacks with a 50’s styled edge when finishing his sentences. Once ‘Weekend At Birnies’ rolls around, you already know what to expect. Fast drumming sets the pace for an old school rockabilly romp that is infused with pop culture references somewhat mocking of the popular 1989 film ‘Weekend At Bernies’. The lyrics harbour a dark sense of tongue-in-cheek humour, which makes you tip your hat in acknowledgement to the creation of this genius. This time around the lead singer vocals are cleaner and the instruments are kicked up a notch, with a fast plucked double bass. The catchy chorus is backed by tight musicianship that sounds like a twisted funhouse and makes a ‘Weekend At Birnies’ seem like a grim treat.
The next song is blocked by a brief and somewhat western influenced rockabilly interlewd, with minimal lyrics the title track sounds like an old western style horse ride straight into the bowels of hell itself. The only lyric is the timely shout of ‘Los Barstos’ which is followed by a blazing guitar riff that almost makes you able to smell the dust kicking up behind your steed as you traverse the wild plains yourself. With the almost entirely instrumental track ‘Los Barstos’ out of the way, Blazin’ Entrails begins to show off more of their twisted sense of humour by telling darkly comedic tales about being stalked at venues, killed as the result of drunk driving and being forced to watch a Frankenstein strip show. Although ‘Switchblade’ is delivered at a softer pace it’s a quick little punky number you want to repeat multiple times and having all the band members shout the chorus encourages you to join in. Quirky lyrics such as ‘even people in their 60’s wanna punch you out’ combined with a huge dosage of swearing, really shows that rock doesn’t have to be serious to be fun.
The remaining two songs on the album again show off the bands insane lyrical oddity by featuring the song ‘One For The Road Toll’ which describes dying as the result of drunk driving whilst the last cut off the EP is a slow and dark striptease number titled ‘Frankenstrip’. Judging by the name you can probably already guess it’s a song about going to a strip club where the reanimation of the dead is real. If not, once hearing the lyrics and psychotic laughter in the background, you get the gist.
Blazin’ Entrails has crafted an EP that sounds like a mash up of multiple genres, with the quirky darkly humoured lyrics many bands tend not to delve into. There are no fancy gimmicks on this EP, it sounds exactly how it would on stage, so there won’t be any disappointment from listening to it and seeing them live. As their name suggests this collection of tracks sees the band hone their swift blend of rocka/punkabilly with catchy hooks and smart word play. With songs like ‘Weekend At Birnies’ and ‘Switchblade’ under their belt, it won’t be long before people start warming up to their utterly insane style of music and start humming songs in their personal time. Blazin’ Entrails beg for your attention and once they get it there will be nothing stopping them, not even a bloodthirsty swarm of zombies, because they have a flamethrower for situations such as that!
