Posted on: July 19, 2009 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

The screamed-out vocals that open up “Reign Lunacy” seem to be the perfect match for the super-sonic guitar licks that will remind listeners of both Fu Manchu and Queens of the Stone Age. Thus, “Chaos or Bust” opens up with a very familiar type of sound that will allow a high amount of cross-over. The repetition of the drum beat on “Crapple Pie” really give the disc a different flavor, to the point that the song only can be compared to the other fare on the disc through the very White Zombie-like sound of the chugging guitars on the track. The vocals do more than just take on a Lemmy flair at points; there is a consistent use of a Primus-like tenor on “Chaos or Bust”.

“Love to Hate” shows that The Cooters can take many different paths to the ultimate goal of creating a track; the lo-fi sound of the track mixes really early Nirvana with the aural sneer of Jimmy Pop (Bloodhound Gang) while still keeping a metal-influenced brand of rock as a referent. The first unqualified hit for The Cooters come during “Bustin’ Loose”, where the duty for creating a harmony is taken from the instruments on the track and given part and parcel to the vocals. The vocals do more than stand up to this challenge but actually thrive; using a Misfits-brand of chorus and a guitar solo, this is by far the biggest hit for The Cooters. Again changing their general sound, “The Waffle House Rock” brings the band to the realm of acts like Mojo Nixon and the Nekromantix – that is to say, The Cooters come up with a country meets rockabilly track that will ring around in listeners’ head well after the track releases its grip on listeners’ ears.

It is only The Cooters that could conceivably do such a straight-on cover of Motorhead’s classic “Ace of Spades”, a nice start to a set of covers that also includes “Static Age” (The Misfits) and “A Hell on Earth” (Discharge). The arrangement of the disc is interesting in that the band cuts a bunch of their own song before going to a cover-heavy format. This is not to say that the general sound of the band changes much; each of the covers on “Chaos or Bust” really is subjugated to the general Cooters sound. An energetic disc that will never listener down, “Chaos or Bust” should be a buy.

Top Tracks: The Waffle House Rock, Crapple Pie

Rating: 6.5/10

The Cooters – Chaos or Bust / 2006 Profane Existence / 12 Tracks / http://www.thecooters.com / http://www.profaneexistence.com / Reviewed 02 March 2006

[JMcQ]

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