Guitar Wolf howls once again on their album
Dead Rock. This is the group's first full-length since the untimely passing of their original bass player
Billy in March of 2005 and the record is dedicated to him.
U.G., the new bass wolf, makes his recording debut with the group and fills out the low-end rumble as if he was born into it, while also contributing great backing vocals throughout the record.
Guitar Wolf is known for their patented "Jett Rock 'N' Roll" formula and it's firmly in place on tracks like "Andromeda Man," and the album's title track, "Dead Rock." They do change up the mixture slightly on "Kenka Rock" with the use of the dramatic pause, but they never stray too far from the four-four drum beat that makes up most of their grinding garage punk assault. The highlight of the record could be the album's only cover;
Bruce Springsteen's "Fire." The band embraces the song and makes it their own by infusing it with their signature, gritty overdriven sound and
Seiji's impassioned vocal delivery. If you weren't familiar with the original you might think the group wrote it themselves.
Dead Rock is a dead-on rock & roll record from start to finish and a fine return to form for one of Japan's greatest rock & roll bands.