Aural Fixations

HELLVIS
Rock 'n' Roll Motherfuckers
(Hellvis)
The three buckeyes that make up powerbilly trio Hellvis must do nothing but play guitar, drink beer, watch porn and beat up other rednecks that get too close to their stash, because Rock 'n' Roll Motherfuckers sounds like a Southern Baptist preacher's worst nightmare. Frontbeast Ted Laskowski spits out words about rocking (out), rolling (drunks) and ingesting mind-altering substances (as in "Out for the Pussy, Blood & Beer") whilst beating the snot out of his guitar, which probably deserves it, the way it backtalks all the time. B.J. Lisko nails the bottom to the ground with a sledgehammer and yowls about how his skank's gonna "Ride the Eagle," capturing the chaos in glorious booze-fi while he's at it. Drummer Marty Katon probably finds these young Turks relaxing after time spent pounding the skins for Blue Cheer and the Electric Prunes. Descriptions aren't really necessary for songs called "Eager Beaver, Honey Pot," "Trucker Speed" ("All jacked up on trucker's speed!" the boys holler with the enthusiasm of a dynamite-toting mass murderer in a crowded food court) and "All Shot to Hell"—the dirty riffs and attitude speak for themselves. There's nothing nice about this record, but that's the way the devil intended it. Michael Toland