One of the best things about this “job” (Because is it really a job if you love what you do???) is when we come across a band in the wild, become a fan, then find out they fall under the umbrella of some cool PR people we’re already friendly with (This is why we keep telling you to follow EVERYTHING that Knyvet is attached to). Boston’s Casket Rats have been kicking around the area for some time now but we only got into them after witnessing the raucous Rawk they produce live opening for KIND and Blood Lightning a while back and have been fans ever since. At the time there was only the self-titled EP which, while rad, only scratches the surface of what CR is capable of (Check it for yourself here). That said, it gives us so much joy to relay that their upcoming full-length on Tee Pee Records, Rat City Rockers, really gets to the nitty gritty of what makes this band tick.
Whoa, NELLY! That was an opening paragraph and then some! Ready for some more accolades? Good, because we have plenty to spread! For starters, Rat City Rockers is exactly the kind of album that emboldens the argument that you should NEVER solidify an end of the year list until everything is out (We say this as we have already started to get end of the year recaps in ye olde digital inbox). As for the meat and potatoes sound if you want a cheat sheet? If you ventured back to the heyday of Mötley Crüe (Too Fast For Love), The Cult (Love) and Def Leppard (High ‘N’ Dry), covered it all in AC/DC circa High Voltage then transported that concoction to the present and made their base of operations the Bay State then you’d have a little idea of what you’re about to get into with Rat City Rockers.
“Blood in the Water” is an anthem and then some conjuring a lot of those elements we already mentioned with a secret weapon in both Keith Bennett and Brendan O’Hare and this shared gruff delivery that emotively elevates everything that Bennett (Also on Bass), Phil Slopak (Drums), Goose (Guitar and Vocals), and O’Hare (Also on Guitar) lay down sonically. Lead single “Whiskey Queen” drops by next and is just as much a powerhouse as it was when it initially arrived, maybe even more so within the Rat City Rockers context, with Bennett’s Bass rumble shaking foundations while the Goose/O’Hare guitar crunch adds even more heft to an already badass track.
“Stealin'” continues the Rat City Rockers trend of bangin’ out anthem after anthem with a song that’s sure to be a live favorite if it isn’t already one. “All She Wrote” BRINGS IT for a solid four minutes of just crushing, gnarly timeless Rawk and/or Roll with “Au Revoir” adding some Booty shakin’/Boogie down beats out of the Slopak/Bennett rhythm section. “Looking For Some” has an epic instrumental build up like one of Rush’s best then devolves into a gnarlier number and some sludgy tones that lead to some fun vocal melodies.
“What’s The Problem?” starts with some of that AC/DC bite we mentioned where you just expect Angus or Malcolm to come out of the speakers yelling “Oi!”, “Watch It Burn” starts with some Guitar God wizardry then launches into Casket Rats’ version of a ballad which is pretty badass to behold and then “Bad Times” closes up the Rat City Rockers shop with a solid stomp that’s yet another instantly iconic anthem out of the Casket Rats camp.
Rat City Rockers drops through Tee Pee Records on November 7th and can be yours in a variety of ways when you head here. For more from Casket Rats, like all the deets on their rekkid release show at the Middle East Upstairs on November 8th with Helldog, Killer Kin ICBM and Cartridge (Direct line to that here), hit the information superhighway by clicking here or here.