Thunderfist
Self-Titled
ECG Records
Street: 03.20
Thunderfist = Thin Lizzy + Motörhead + Turbonegro + Zeke
Since visiting my 8th-grade Career Day class 10 years ago, singer Jeremy Cardenas scream-sings just as viciously as in those initial Thunderfist recordings. But now, I’m more afraid he’ll beat me with an ugly stick, shrieking, “I’m all fucked up tonight!” in “Hit the Bottle Again.” With the addition of the prodigious Matt Miller, Thunderfist’s guitar dynamics are fleshed out in a kaleidoscopic way, balanced so that each guitar complements each other just enough, such as in the riffy “Back Down.” I dare you not to sing along to the Full Metal Jacket quote in “Eskimo Pussy Is Mighty Cold.” Drummer Erik Stevens pounds out clean and even fills that bolster the chorus of Cardenas’ and bassist Mike Mayo’s combined “Come on, let’s go” in “Smoke ’Em While You Can.” In “Don’t Get It For Free,” Guitarists Mike Sasich and Jeff Haskins exhibit classic Thunderfist synchrony that allows for mega shredding that underpins stone-cold rock n’ roll.