Boogie Monster Zechimechi

I like Boogie Monster. They're loud, they're fast, and they show great promise. I bet both of the members of the band would be great to get a beer with, or get baked with, or just veg out and watch bad movies with. But even with all these admirable qualities, if the album is recorded badly, then it is probably not going to sound too good. Overlook the bad recording and you'll find that Zechimechi is pretty solid overall for a first release from a young band.

Sometimes bad recording equipment adds to the band's sound. Poor recording techniques added that certain something to the simply-structured songs by bands such as the Mountain Goats and Guided By Voices. But Boogie Monster is not Guided By Voices-style pop. Boogie Monster is noisy Vancouver-style thrash, and noisy Vancouver-style thrash needs good recording equipment.

The music itself is pretty good stuff. The band borrows a large portion of their sound from noise rock titans Lightning Bolt, but instead of an oddly-tuned bass, here a guitar is used, courtesy of Ben Fussel. A layer of depth is added to his playing by having his guitar run simultaneously through a bass amp, giving his riffs an extra punch of 'epic.' Fussel's riff simultaneously compete with and feed off of drummer Tony Dallas's frenetic yet precise style. The technical talent of both players sets this band apart from the other bands (such as Japandroids) that make a similar type of music.

The band seems to be only scratching the surface of their potential, however. Even with the constant overlays of noise fuzz, brain melting riffs and animalistic drumming, something seems to be missing. Perhaps if the band could see their sound evolve with the addition of vocals or bass to the mix. As it stands though, this is a fine, if flawed, first offering from a very promising young band. If they stick at it, the music world could definitely have a contender on their hands.