Catch That Bulldozer

Powderkeg (Small Stone)

The Glasspack

By David Lilly

Any time I hear the sound of kamikaze mosquito guitars, I figure I'm in for a treat ... insert static here ... Do NOT attempt to adjust your audio equipment; any effort to do so will be futile.

For the next 40 minutes, they will inhabit and be in control of your sound system. You are powerless - unless you wave your white flag, for therein lies the power. Surrender to the relentless rhythm section, insane guitars and screaming sandpaper of these hometown fellers who call themselves The Glasspack. Formed in 1999 and led by "Dirty" Dave Johnson ("maniacal" is more like it), The Glasspack's music on Powderkeg gives the listener the sense of catching a ride on a fast, high-powered bulldozer that laughs at speed limits. And what do you see on the map along the way? Eye-catching names like "Shut Up and Ride," "Sleeping Pills," "Back Seat Whore" and of course the enchanting "Mrs. Satan." Kinda fun, actually.

As I was saying earlier about the kamikaze mosquitoes, that's the first sound from this disc to sizzle through the speakers. Even if it wasn't my job to review this CD, that would've been enough to lure me through at least a few songs. "Why?" you ask with aroused curiosity. I have an innate attraction to weird noises. Naturally, that means I also really like what sounds to me like some flame-throwing guitar work here, too. I swear that near the beginning of "Demolition Derby" there is the sound of clinking china. That sound is so out of place amidst this maelstrom of noise that it fits right in.

If I were twenty years younger, I'd probably have all the Glasspack lyrics memorized by now. I understand quite a few of them, actually, but the main word I'm picking up on is unprintable here and rhymes with "buck." Spend a few of those on this CD and liberate your sound system. Also, visit the guys at www.theglasspack.com