- - -

BEAT THE BONE :
NAKED

From sunny San Bernardino California comes this trio of fun-lovin' musicians, (Ray Nottke - vocals / bass, Lew Nottke - guitar, and Jay Smith - drums) known collectively as "Beat The Bone". Now, with a CD title like "Naked", I of course thought the band name was as filthy as it implies. However, the band insists that the moniker is not a euphemism for male self-love, but rather the name comes from a childhood pet parrot that would sometimes get angry, and take it out on an unfortunate toy bone that was in his cage. The band's sound is not something we hear too much of these days. It's not too hard, but not too soft, and it's ...well, it's kind of up-beat! Maybe I'm just not picking up on the suicide vibes (I admit I didn't read the included lyric sheet) but the band doesn't seem to be singing teen-angst anthems about hating their parents, no one understanding them, or wanting to destroy the world. On the other side though, this isn't some joke band, just a band that wants to rock! I kept thinking that if "Ugly Kid Joe" were still around today, this might be the sort of CD they might put out. There is a welcomed simplicity, and an element of wide open grove, that harkens back to the early 90s, yet there are also some "Nu"-isms that one can attribute to bands like "Disturbed" and "Drowning Pool", as well as their numerous clones. The band sites influences from the old-school of Metal such as "Ozzy", "Iron Maiden", and "Judas Priest", but accept for a few guitar licks, I don't really hear any "Number Of The Beast" or "Diary Of A Madman" styled tracks here. Basically we have a hard rockin' disc that has the ability to appeal to fans ranging from Glam to Grunge, to Thrash, and even to Nu. So what remains to be seen, is if everyone, both young and old, will get behind them, or if their broad appeal will result in fans not getting overly into them. You know, and I know that fans like a strong, specific image, be it a Black-Metal band, or an Emo Punk outfit, treading in the middle of the road can be a tough thing to pull off. Bottom line however, is that this is a pretty decent spin, with lots of memorable tunes that'll make you want to come back for more, over and over again. For More info on this fun band, check out beatthebone.com.
RATING = 7.5 Metal (Released 2004)

- - -

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U/V W-Z

SOUNDTRACKS TRIBUTES COMPILATIONS

GOT A PROBLEM WITH ONE OF MY CD REVIEWS?
DO YOU AGREE WITH ME?
THEN GO TO THE

- - -

"Greatest hits albums are for housewives and little girls."
 -Bruce McCulloch K.I.T.H. '91

HOME

IF YOU THINK MY CD REVIEWS SUCK, CLICK HERE!

urotsukidoji_1@yahoo.com

This page hosted by GeoCities Get your own Free Home Page