Hey, isn't it supposed to be wolves? Eh, never mind. A power trio in every sense of the word, Montana's LAZERWOLFS is what rock is supposed to be: light hearted yet down to business, fun and accessible yet ball-crushingly heavy, straightforward yet loose and experimental. Above all, it's completely devoid of concern for trends and convention.

It should be no surprise how tight these guys are as a group, considering that bassist/vocalist Chris LaTray and drummer Bubba Warne have been playing together for about 20 years. Finishing up the trio is guitarist Jimmy Rolle, whose wah tantrums and massive doses of feedback bring back fond memories of when Tom Morello was a promising upstart. LaTray's vocals are strictly hometown flavor, yet are perfectly matched with the surprisingly clean, professional sounding production. This winning formula is topped off with Warne's solid, yet laid back drumming. Song variety is here in spades, with tracks ranging from the simple and upbeat ("Prowl", "Hit Man" and "Living Backwards") to the ultra-slow and brooding (the 8 minute "Stone"). And while we're as tired of making comparisons to FU MANCHU as people are of reading them, there probably isn't another band right now that takes that loose rock style and makes it their own quite as effectively as these guys, particularly on tracks like "La Media". And while these tracks are a bit on the lengthy side, the time is used effectively thanks to some bad ass stoner leads from Mr. Rolle. The end result both defies subgenre placement and reverently encompasses the true essence of rock music. Enough talk-now haul ass to the LAZERWOLFS website and get some real rock.

- Cardona

OFFICIAL SITE: : www.lazerwolfs.com

MP3 SOUND SCRAP: Switchblade

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