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Every 60’s biker movie has a badass title like "Satan’s Sadists" or "Angel Unchained". But when you get into it, all the hell raising is pretty hokey, or the biker chick is played by Tyne Daly. (Ugh) So after a while, you go back to it and watch again just because it’s so contrived it’s funny. That’s how it is with The Demonics, but at least the humor is intentional. All indications from the cover and the name are a Cramps or Black Sabbath evil movie soundtrack band. But what you end up with is Bam-Bam Rubble wearing a turtle shell helmet.
"She-Devils On Wheels" quickly clues you in that this is going to be more Weezer then Hopper. Musically exact and well executed, but the singing isn’t as manly as hoped. They won’t put up much of a fight to the amazon She-Devils gang. "Anesthesiologist" is the first of the teen tragedies. I can’t help but envision the nurse on the cover of another recent album when he sings "My anesthesiologist in her skintight rubber gloves." Clever song idea and heavy road guitars make it pretty enjoyable. Covering the Bitch Boys’ "Little Honda" would have been cute if they were a dark assault outfit. But they’re not, and it’s not. Should’ve done some Davey Allen or something else from a bad gang movie. "Dune Buggy Denise" throws back to bubblegum beach music resplendent with tambourine and maracas a la The Archies. Or that other cartoon band, Jellyfish.
Vampires on motorbikes make a pretty exciting visual. But "Race Against The Dawn" sounds exactly like Cracker. Until the chorus that is, when it sounds like Aerosmith. While the music is fun, femme vocals stunt another cool idea. "We sucked your mother dry and left her corpse behind at some Yuppie hell-hole North of town." "Purple Heart" doesn’t say for sure, but it sounds like the second roadkill tragedy song. The lyrics on the clever "Sayton" are as follows, "Don’t say eight, don’t say nine, say ten." "She was looking for Sarah down at the Winchester House". Now they have crossed the Dead Milkmen with Groovie Ghoulies. (The cartoon)
Just as most serial killers look like unassuming normal folk, "When You’re Dead" is happy poppy retro-rock. But look inside and you get, "Lend me your ear, I’ll take your hand. They’ll find the rest in a garbage can. I got tears but nobody cares. I left clues ‘cause I want you to know who I am. I am no one." Now that’s killer. "Pure Hell" is the second song I’ve ever heard use the word citadel. It’s the little young lady from Pasadena. Ironically, it sounds like some Vox guitars on acid-space instrumental "Dustin’ The Fuzz."
Post-apocalyptic visions on the road mad "Fuel-Injected Suicide Machine" feature more surfabilly guitars and cymbal tapping. Awful serious all of the sudden, boys.
Demonics like to make themselves up like the devil on Kids In The Hall. So I guess I shouldn’t expect much darkness. The devil they worship is of the Harvey Comics’ variety. One being CC And Company and ten being Psychomania, Demons On Wheels rates a six, Chopper Chicks In Zombie Town.
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~Ewan Wadharmi
Track Listing:
- She Devils On Wheels
- Anesthesiologist
- Little Honda
- Dunebuggy Denise
- Race Against Dawn
- Purple Hearts
- Sayton
- When You're Dead
- Pure Hell
- Dustin' The Fuzz
- Fuel-Injected Suicide Machine
- Motorgeddon
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The Demonics
