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New Album of the Week: Spiders – Flash Point

October 2, 2012 by A.S. Van Dorston


I’ve been raving about Spiders all year since I heard their self-titled EP and wrote about them in Metal Sirens. Despite originally having members from both Graveyard and Witchcraft, Spiders mostly leaves the proto-doom sounds behind, favoring high energy garage rock (the b-side of their “Weekend Nights” single is a cover “Lies” by Swedish garage band The Strollers), MC5, Alice Cooper (whose “Under My Wheels” was also a b-side) and other pre-punk along the lines of Australia’s Radio Birdman and Cleveland’s Rocket From the Tombs. With building blocks from the 60s and 70s, they sound familiar but somehow fresh. I can’t think of any other band that shares their retro yet contemporary hybrid sound. Flash Point sounds like it was recorded fast and loose to capture their live energy, clocking in at just under 28 minutes. Not to say the band isn’t tight, but the high velocity guitar leads jump outside the lines just enough to keep their edges roughed up.

The album kicks off with first single, the tight, hooky “Weekend Nights,” which rolls into supercharged Motörhead style riffing with “Hang Man,” featured below as their first video. “Love Me” has a touch of Girlschool, with Ann-Sofie Hoyles adding a bluesy tinge to the vocals, while keeping it short and to the point. “Fraction” is the only song re-recorded from an earlier single, the new version changing up the introductory guitar riff by adding a nice homage to Radio Birdman. It sounds different enough that it doesn’t sound redundant to listen to both in one sitting. Six of the nine songs blow by in under three minutes, and because it’s over so quickly, I usually listen to the album twice per listening session, and could easily go a third time without getting tired of it, always leaving you wanting more. When favorite bands like Colour Haze, Ufomammut and Baroness are releasing ambitious, sprawling double albums, Spiders provide a nice change of pace with a short, breathless blast of scorching rock ‘n’ roll. They’re touring with Graveyard in Europe, and hopefully will make it to the U.S. next year.

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