Out Now
Words by Jimmy Glinster
PistonFist spend no time fucking around as they launch into some heavy as fuck chugs and thumping toms before launching us into a guitar solo intro. What a way to kick off a song, and an album. The opening track is titled Become The Rage, and although generally not an angry bloke, frontman Geoffro O’Leary takes control of the track with gravelled ferocity. It’s a rocking track which pulls back and opens up a little in the choruses to let the track title wail with a controlled but dramatic intensity.
As the band Dig In, Kirk Hammet‘s wah drops on by quickly for a visit during the songs intro. It’s another absolute rocker with a thumping rhythm section and an almost traditional hardcore vibe throughout the verses. You’ve heard or should have heard this one before as I believe the band’s second single and video.
Correct me if I’m wrong, which I never am, even when I am. Anyway … the choruses show off the band’s melodic side and almost throw off a Seattle grunge feel similar to the darker side of Alice in Chains. The song’s bridge further slips into this feeling with a rolling heavy riff that would slot right in on Dirt. The riffs continue, as does the mix of traditional hardcore and dark grunge, and the track ends as a devastatingly heavy monster.
Resent The Day opens with some heavy guitar chugs and rolling drum fills before very quickly taking off with a 4/4 punk beat and NWOBHM-sounding thrash riff. That early hardcore feeling flows strong in this one again. You can tell that these guys are very influenced by the heavy sounds of the late ’80s and early 90s, when in my opinion Heavy Metal was finding its legs and launching it into its many directions and modern variations. Don’t get me wrong, there is a very modern sound to this band too and the choruses in this song again show their melodic grunge over toned ability amongst the thrash and hard rocking good times.
What the funk is going on here then? Blue Cheese? I’m not sure whether I’m listening to 311, Primus or AIC here, or some interesting mix of the three, currently going by the name of PistonFist. When they stop fucking around though, I’m very quickly reminded that this is PistonFist with their heavy grooving riffs, and those drawn-out gravelled vocals. Interesting track, a very fucking good one, with a very tasty solo by the name-sharing legend himself Jimmy Robertson which is then followed by a throwback to the funk to wrap it all up. Well played gents!
Next up is Rise Up and much like Dig In this is one of the band’s previously released singles and videos. This track is the perfect example of PistonFist’s balls to the wall heavy rock. On that note, I’m gonna leave ya with the video which I’m sure our Commander in Chief Krispy will ever so fucking gracefully provide you with below.
And here it is, the title track and new single, Redline. It’s a bit of a fucking banger aye, enough of a banger that the band took it to Rockynats to film yet another video for another single. This is high-octane rock and roll with relentless riffs and absolutely pounding rhythms. Let ya hair out if ya got any left and bang ya head to his one at high volume.
For a minute there, I thought this next track was another single and video, but after I put my glasses on, I read that it’s called Re-Run and not On the Run which was a fucking banger in itself. Luckily Re-Run is also a fucking banger which kicks off with some thick gunshot-sounding snare hits. It’s not your typical balls-to-the-wall PistonFist rock and roll but instead a more matured and fermenting groover. The grunge overtones are again heavy in this one, but the shifting riffs and rhythm keep it a safe distance from the heroin diary overtones of the early 90s.
Just like a Landslide, the next track slips right on down into a deep groove, but not without leaving a trail of destruction with a blistering opening verse. The thrash chugs are solid in this one and when the song slightly slows and breathes to open up, it grooves hard.
As seems to be the general formula on this album, the track shifts in and out of those grunge overtones. It’s a formula that works, and it’s interesting to hear how the shifts in the songs are integrated into each other on each occasion.
I’d hate to be a fuckin Pest, but that’s obviously a lie because if ya know me, you know that I’m literally a bit of a fucking pest or for the lack of a better word … cough, cough, c@nt.
Now that we’ve got that out in the open, I’m halfway through this track as it bounces along with a slower and more broken groove than the rest of the album. I mean, it’s still got the rocking rhythms and riffs like the rest of the album, but I guess has more of a sludge/stoner feeling. Think Down as opposed to Pantera.
And here we are, at the end of the record, in the eye of the Storm. The track kicks off rocking bloody hard and at this point I’m very happy that it’s not an end of album ballad.
They may have saved the best til last, or at least planned to remind you just who PistonFist are and what they do best. Having seen this band more than a few times live, and even sharing the odd beer-soaked stage with them, this track portrays most accurately the sound, feeling and intensity of their live performances.
What do they call it, Petrol Rock? Yeah, that’s it! Get some fist in ya piston and get some fucken Petrol Rock up ya!
*All reviews in HEAVY are just one person’s opinion of the album. We encourage honesty in reviews but just because our reviewer may or may not like/appreciate an album, that doesn’t mean their opinion is right! We encourage you to have a listen for yourself and make up your own minds!*
