Hell Yeah!
Bullet and Octane emerged from the clubs of Southern California and, if rumours were true, are playing music that deviates dramatically from the current scene. Allegedly the band are getting heady recognition for it, playing to packed crowds and receiving deserved adulation. Don't let this opening sentences fool you into thinking Bullets and Octane are pushing any musical boundaries, they're hardly experimenting with new ideas and concepts. Putting it plainly, Bullets and Octane and no more than a quality, in your face rock and roll band.
Perhaps in a musical climate where incoherent screaming and thrashing are the trend, playing good time rock IS a dramatic deviation. Certainly when The Darkness exploded on to the scene it did seem like a breath of fresh air from all the sound-a-like screamo bands. I'm not comparing Bullets and Octane to Justin Hawkins crazy crew, but I will say that there's more attitude and excitement in Bullets and Octane's three songs than on the whole of The Darkness's latest over-produced load of old hokum.
Take the upbeats tracks from 'The Workhorse Movement' and you've got a good point of reference for Bullets and Octane. All three tracks are fuel-filled, no nonsense rockers guaranteed to get your foot tapping, head nodding and put a smile on your face. Vocalist Gene Louis has an appealing low gritty growl, powerful and totally audible. Couple it with some crystal clear production and a dash of nifty guitar work and the result is, as the band themselves put it, 'one hell of a ride.'
Bullets and Octane prove that there's still life in the ole rock and roll formula, especially if you've got a hatful of ideas, buckets of attitude and slick production. The band ooze these qualities which made this sampler a delight to listen to. I can't wait for the full album to hit the streets, although I think a change in it's name would be a prudent move. "In the mouth of the young" doesn't really conjure up the nicest of images and may get them arrested in some places in the world.