ELECTRIC EEL SHOCK - review added 6th October 2009
Album Review: Sugoi Indeed (2009)
For fans of: Alt Rock... and suspiciously vampire-esque cover art
Electric Eel Shock hail from Tokyo, Japan, They've been going for just over a decade and have several albums under their collective belts including recent entries Go Europe! (retitled Go USA! for the American market), Beat Me and Transworld Ultra Rock.
Featuring Aki Morimoto (guitar and vocals), Kazuto Maekawa (bass) and Tomoharu 'Gian' Ito (drums), Electric Eel Shock play a semi-crazy party punk metal with bugger-all finesse but loads of attitude and tongue-in-meat-grinder enthusiasm. There's definitely some Queens Of The Stone Age in there, maybe a hint of The Sex Pistols, a portion of Motorhead's no-bullsh*t approach and a thin wad of modern, Offspring style pop-punk-rock.
Sugoi Indeed (for reference, Sugoi apparently means 'Amazing' in Japanese) was produced by the man who produced their last two albums, Attie Bauw (Judas Priest, Scorpions). The result is a low-key, almost live feel that's more about stripped back purity than precise multi-layered warmth. It suits the Electric Eel Shock vibe well and gives them a sound that's both modern and retro at once.
There's no real stand out moment on the album, It's more of a single high-adrenaline hit of noise than individual moments of marvel. Sugoi Indeed only comes in at just over half an hour, and it spends very little of that time being quiet or slow. If I had to pick highlights...The Metallica '2x4' / 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' underpinnings of 'Mr. Toad' are intriguing, 'M.T.B.' is particularly amusing, and final track 'Goodbye Peach' is strangely alluring.
Sugoi Indeed is without doubt a good fun album that should appeal to a decently wide audience. It's not really my thing but I can certainly see the appeal. Do I like it? Not really. Do I recommend it? Yes. SUGOI!
Check out... The pace of it all.
Track List:
1. Metal Man
2. Out Of Control
3. Mr. Toad
4. Sugoi Indeed
5. Death Penalty
6. Nobody Knows
7. More
8. No Shit Sherlock
9. M.T.B.
10. Goodbye Peach
Label: Rodeostar Records
Artist's website(s): Electric Eel Shock , MySpace
