Don't Let Rock n' Roll Ruin Your Life from Saskatoon's Vulture Kult had me step outside my comfort zone. I'm more comfortable with less accessible variations of the "rock n roll" mega-genre. Black metal, doom, grind, thrash etc. I wouldn't even consider Vulture Kult to be a metal band at all. So why bother to review it on a metal blog? I'm not really sure. But we'll go with the theory that since it doesn't suck, and I was asked to review it, it was worth a bit of my time.
At only 28 minutes DLRnRRYL is over before you really know it. It' an efficient album. Much like I shop. Get in. Get out. Have something with you to take home. In this case what you can take away from the album is fun. From the first 7 tracks at least. It's a rollicking good time. The power duo of guitarist/vocalist Hans and drummer/vocalist Bradley write punchy hard rock tunes with a decidedly punky edge. The semantics of genre can get a little confusing but calling this Punk Rock makes perfect sense.
Vulture Kult goes all in with opening track "Electric Medication". The tremendously catchy riffs and vocal hooks set the benchmark for the rest of the album. Edgy but accessible, it will have you dancing whether you like it or not. The title track follows suit with swagger and attitude. This is where I can hear the influence of bands such as the Stooges. However, I can't shake off that If-Ozzy-Went-Punk feeling I get from the vocals. Not a bad thing. Rock n rolling right along, "Vultures From Above" is a booze fueled romp through Vegas. While I don't hate "Avenue H", I can really hear KISS on this one and I don't like KISS one bit. That, and this sounds like it should be on Guitar Hero. The sleaze continues with "Cyanide Hand Grenades". That's a pretty killer song title. The song isn't bad either. It's kind of tune that bar bands could learn from. It'll get people up outta their seats. If Vulture Kult was to roll through town, I'd go party. "Go Loose" and "Welcome to the Land of the Dead" showcase Han's vocal diversity. In addition to the Ozzy-ness, he can also sound like Lemmy and even Wino. In fact, fans of Motorhead could find a lot of Vulture Kult much to their liking. Hard-hitting and loud, raucous and bluesy, DLRnRRYL should appeal to most fans of good hard rock. The final two tracks really seem out of place though. Lacking the power present on the rest of the album, it's a real let down. "Movie Of Me"'s quiet guitar and drums and organ make it sound as if it was lifted from a Tarantino film. Not necessarily a bad thing but it doesn't fit the album. Closer "Checking Out" follows that line. It's actually a very fitting finale. It immediately brings to mind the sun setting behind a lonely and broken gas bar on a dusty New Mexico highway.
There's plenty to like on DLRnRRYL. It'll get the blood pumpin' and the body movin' yet won't cause the more conservative members of your family to get all bug-eyed with terror. As I said, it's a little outside my comfort zone but it didn't take long to get comfortable with it. Sit back, crack a beer and don't let rock n roll ruin your life. Let rock n roll enhance it!!
http://vulturekult.bandcamp.com/
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