Pure rock fury is something that will never fail to set my heart aflame and this EP from EMK artists Megalighter is a perfect example of raw, powerful, punk-infused rock and roll in the style of Motorhead at their loudest. Intrigued? Then read on!
Opening with a storming, roughly recorded adrenalin blast is a great way to grab the attention and ‘paying the price’ does exactly that as these Norwegian bruisers charge through two minutes of primal, guitar wrecking action. Described on their myspace as “Motörhead with the brain of The Who”, it’s fair to say that is a pretty accurate description as fag-damaged vocals, mellifluous solos and train-wreck drums all fly past your head in just over two minutes – blink and you may well miss it. ‘Got magic’ is a calmer affair, offering up the sort of dynamic contrast that has largely been missing from Motorhead’s back catalogue and hinting at the blues-inflected majesty of Bad Company. The marvellously named Freddy Diamond provides vocals which are just on the right side of tuneful while carrying the sort of abrasive edge that Iggy Pop mastered on ‘Raw power’ while the rest of the band offer up the illusion of chaos whilst simultaneously playing as tight as hell thanks to hours of practice and gigs in dark venues with sticky floors. Maintaining the quality is ‘Got me fooled’ which is another ballsy, blues orientated track with a memorable chorus that is part classic Neil Young part Nirvana b-side.
Continuing the Neil young comparisons is ‘Living by the chain’ a sexy, sleazy, swaggering riff that’s straight out of AC/DC coupled with guitar stabs that are pure ‘tonight’s the night’ Neil Young it’s simply a great track, no more, no less and you’ll listen to it three times each time noticing some new quirk to delight over. Final track ‘street soldier’ has a nice loose vibe to it with the guitar played fast, loose and simple and the vocals all spit and thunder aping the Who at their rawest and most vital. Backed up by a production that is perfectly judged between clarity and the essential rawness of a live recording this is a fantastic EP that will have old-school rock fans in raptures.
As the band are keen to point out this is neither retro, nor indie nor nu-… nor anything else and I’d be inclined to agree – this is simply timeless rock and roll filled with the vitality of a group whose love is playing to a crowd no matter what the size. A hugely enjoyable, if brief experience the EP has been re-mastered and will appear as a download in November whereupon you will have no excuse not to listen to it. A magical EP and a wonderful introduction to the EMK label. http://www.myspace.com/megalighter
