The Atomic Bitchwax - "Boxriff EP"
(Meteorcity Records 2006, MCY-039)
The Atomic Bitchwax - "Boxriff EP"
(Meteorcity Records 2006, MCY-039)
From Aural Innovations #35 (January 2007)
This is a pretty damn cool deluxe release with 3 new songs and a live concert with a DVD! Very good value for the money! Why did it take so long to come out though? This was all recorded in November 2005. The new material starts with STD, which is pretty standard high energy melodic hard rock with a bit of Queens influence. So Come On is a more foot stomping style 70's rocker, including hand clapping! Cool heavy riff and killer drums by Keith. He really is an awesome drummer that drives this band hard. Turn Me On starts as a blues track but then really changes into a very complex track that really rocks out big time but then goes back into the blues. Next up is yet another version of Kiss the Sun. I really don't understand why they recorded this song again. Finn, the guitar player, sung this song on the first Core record, but Koznick sung it on the first TAB record, and now they record it again with Finn singing it. The arrangement is basically the exact same so I don't get it. Why not rerecord one of the other cooler Core songs???
Ok... now on to the live concert. This is straight up kick ass Bitchwax. If you have seen the band live, then you know what you have here. They play most of the popular numbers and also include a pretty cool version of the Deep Purple song, Maybe I'm a Leo. I was surprised by the opening, a very short version of Shine on You Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd! The video is shot with 2 cameras right up in the front so you never see the audience but really feel like you are in the front row. The only lights in the club were red, so the film is almost always red and the guy who edited was really into switching back and forth between the two cameras all the time, which sometimes is a bit annoying. But this is great stuff and fans of the band must have this!
For more information you can visit The Atomic Bitchwax web site at: http://www.theatomicbitchwax.com.
Visit the Meteor City web site at: http://www.meteorcity.com.
Reviewed by Scott Heller