DIRTY POWER
Dirty Power (Dead Teenager)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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Ah, kicked in the teeth again! Good ol' hard rock the way your dad used to like it when That 70s Show was his real life. I know. I'm your dad. Or I could be, maybe, if you're a young headbanger (do they still use that word?) trying to figure out why this simple sounding, riff-driven CD is making you feel like you've been chewing bags of Starbucks beans. I've been there, I know the feeling, I've mourned the loss as bands of that ilk went the way of the dinosaur, and I'm happy as hell to hear that sound again, now coming from this band that call themselves Dirty Power.

With guitarist/vocalist Patrick Goodwin (formerly of Pansy Division) up front and legendary Seattle producer Jack Endino at the recording console, DP have scored with a debut album that is loud even with the sound off and packing the kind of punch the volume promises. Think that's a given? Crank up some 80s hair band metal as loud as you can and try to find some punch. You won't find anything like the driving riff of "Asthma Pimp" or the high voltage guitar zap of "Gone," and you sure as hell won't catch any Sabbath-joins-forces-with-AC/DC vibes, as either of those bands' replacement drummers could have eaten the hair bands for lunch. Dirty Power sounds like the real thing; a hard rock band with genuine riffs that just leapt out of a time machine and landed right on the downbeat.

With the current metal scene fragmented into a few dozen directions, only a few of which mix riffs with vocals that don't sound like they're coming from Satan as he's having a chainsaw enema, it's a huge relief to find a band with power, riffs, power, energy, strong songs, and power. Had this been released in 1977, you'd be hearing half these songs on classic rock stations today. Let's see if the stations that are supposed to play current music have the balls to pop "Tastes Like Burning" or "LSD" into the rotation. Fuckin' cowards... Not much chance.

© 2003 - DJ Johnson