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ATOMIC NUMBER 76 :
ATOMIC NUMBER 76

Atomic Number 76 (consult a periodic table of the elements to get the meaning) are fairly new to the scene, having only just formed in January of 2002, but they sound like they've been around for a good 25 or 30 odd years. This 3-piece outfit, featuring Ronnie Sewerd - drums, Mauro Felipe - guitar, and Bingo Sanatra - bass & vocals, mixes all the best the 70s has, or had, to offer, and spews forth some of the most convincing retro rock I've heard in a long time. I know, I know, you're thinking "great, another freakin' Stoner band, ...fantastic", but Atomic Number 76 is not just another fuzzed-out stoner act. Sure, their 70s riffs will appeal to many of the pro-leaf crowd, as will some of the Sabbathy doom-isms, but this is much more of a straight ahead rock band, then others that wave the green flag. Most bands that try the retro thing, do end up in the realm of 420-rock, or in the doom metal realm, but few manage to skate the edges of these sub genres like these guys do, and sound so damn authentic at the same time. Hints of every cool band of that great by gone era can be heard at one point or another; Sabbath, Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, old Aerosmith, etc., hell, there are even hints of 70s prog! If someone handed you this, and told you it was a long lost jam tape of any one of these bands, you would be hard pressed to find a reason to not believe it. The songs here are pretty catchy, the have a loose, free-flowing feel to them, and quite frankly, make me wanna sit in a wood-paneled basement, and drink cheap-ass beer until I'm too dizzy to walk. Before I go, ...I must also mention the song "Bourbon Eyes". Now, I've read some reviews on these guys, and no one else has mentioned it, but maybe that's because the other reviews are all hard-core stoner fans, and have forgotten a little known band from the UK called Iron Maiden. I however, have not forgotten, the intro to this song, not to mention the first couple verses, is lifted straight from "The Trooper". Sure, the tempo has been changed, but I know the Trooper when I hear it. Hell, as it first started, I lunged for the CD case to see if it was some funky cover version. You can even sing the Trooper lyrics over the first few verses of Bourbon Eyes, it's slowed down a bit, but it fits perfectly! I don't know if this is intentional or not, but it's amusing. Luckily, it's not the same note for note, and only lasts for a third of the song, then it goes off on a tripped-out 70s tangent. So I think they'll be able to avoid facing Eddie and his team of lawyers. For More info, you can surf your bell-bottom wearing ass on over to atomicnumber76.com.
RATING = 7.5 70s Rock/Metal (Released 2003)

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ATOMIC NUMBER 76 :
CURSED FOREVER

NYC's Atomic Number 76 are back only a year after their self-titled debut effort with a new four-track EP. First off, I gotta say I love the cheesy cover art, very 70s comic book, or "Monster Magnet" in nature. It's always hard to judge a short EP, but basically we have two tracks that are good, and two that are great from these retro rockers. We start out with the title track, and "Humanzee", which both have some great elements, but seem to wander down that meandering 70s path of trippy guitars just a little too far for my taste. Track three, "Alien Agent", is fan-freakin-tastic! It just has this killer groove that you can't help get lost in. The final cut, "Spirit" is also what I'd call a definite ass-kickin' number. Now, here's the funny part, and I swear this is true. It's been a year since I reviewed the band's last disc. When this showed up in the mail, all I remembered was that they did that 70s thing. So, without going back to the old CD, or reading my old review, I went and played this a few times. During the song "Spirit" I kept hearing this very familiar rhythm / guitar riff combo. It was short, but it was there. It only took me a few moments for me to place where I had first herd it, in Iron Maiden's "Two Minutes To Midnight". So, imagine my surprise and amusement when I re-read my old review, and realized that I teased them about lifting from Maiden last time out as well. This time around it's not nearly as noticeable, but it is funny that I picked up on this both times. Man, the band is gonna hate me for this... Ayway, "Cursed Forever" is a good bridge between full-lengths, here's hoping the wait is not to long.
RATING = 7.5 70s Rock/Metal (Released 2004)

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