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Who Rides The Tiger
Transylvania Baby
By Keith Carman
Initially coming off as a sort of Soundgarden-meets-Motörhead hybrid, the first taste of L.A. rockers Who Rides The Tiger can be a touch difficult to digest. When one delves further into that which is Transylvania Baby though, a whole new world and list of connotations arise. Yes, they are plugged into the detuned groove from a time when Kim Thayil was cool and they, as any self-respecting rocker should, have a soft spot for Lemmy. However, as the band embrace their grit and sleaze, it's clear they have far more in common with High On Fire and Fu Manchu than anything related to plaid and Doc Martens. Just shy of sloppy, more unkempt than Orange Amplification and with just enough menace to be unnerving, Transylvania Baby finds WRTT on the heels of apocalyptic dirt metal's new guard. (Hard Drugs)
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September 1st, 2008 19:51
Normally a record review is written under the guise of helping the reader decide whether or not they want to drop the 15 bucks to purchase a copy of the record in question. In these days of unchecked inflation, national debt and dropping property values, trying to convince people to part with what little money they have left has now become harder than ever. With this being my first piece for Concrete Disciples, It would appear that I might have opted to start off with a challenge.
But this is not the case, because the generous folks from Who Rides The Tiger have taken measures so that now, I no longer need to convince the reader of much more than whether or not to spare a minute of his life to go download a copy of WRTT`s newest release Transylvania Baby for FREE. That`s right, thanks to modern technology, in the amount of time it would take some one to make a sandwich, they can download a copy, burn it to disc and turn it into a coaster if they feel that it`s anything less than stellar.
All instant gratification aside, this record is one of the best I`ve heard in while. Start to finish, it is a perfect representation of the dark and heavy beast that Who Rides The Tiger truly is. Their sound smacks of old Barkmarket, Tad even some Poison Idea. And live they capture the energy of other power trio`s like early Nirvana but with a considerably more sinister feel.
They can be seen playing regularly in LA. Long Beach and Riverside. So since you got the music for free the least you can do is go drop a few bucks to see em` live so they can keep doing what they do. Or if you detest MP3 compression as much as I do, send em` $15 for the uncompressed full quality CD
Listen: Here
Download: Here
-Scott Taylor
Scott Taylor
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WHO RIDES THE TIGER - "Transylvania Baby", 2008 (Hard Drugs)
Check your preconceived notions at the door.
While not exactly presenting a new concept to the world of rock music, "Transylvania Baby" is a debut album that won me over with its clever, kickass, tongue-in-cheek attitude. Grooving, fuzzy-as-all-hell, southern-tinged hard rock with shouted vocals is not exactly the rarest genre in the world. When I hear an album start rolling along through a vibratory Big Muff presence suffused in warm club reverbs, I'm pretty convinced I know exactly what I'm going to sit through for the album's length. WHO RIDES THE TIGER single-handedly crushed my pessimism by delivering a diverse, energizing and exhilarating 10 tracks of punk/grunge/hard rock stylistically between old SOUNDGARDEN and MOTÖRHEAD and naturally reminiscent of California pals REVOLUTION MOTHER. High octane groove propels these tracks at typical grunge speeds with slow parts and random smudgy guitar-squealing interludes dropping in sparsely, making this a band I would definitely go to see perform live. The cartoonish illustrations of each song in the booklet are also a nice and unique touch.
- Devamitra
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On the first listen, Transylvania Baby presents itself as a sleaze-rock gem, with distortion, feedback and sludgy guitars steering the course. With swaggering confidence, malevolent imagery and a sexy tone conjuring images of a cheap, tawdry motel, Who Rides the Tiger cuts a deep line in terms of first impact. The audio serration dissipates with repeated listens as songs overflow from one to the next and the formerly pungent, gritty taste is diluted. Individually, songs like "Geronimo," "Cut You," and "Where the Sidewalk Ends" are heavy and amped-up with raw emotion and a dirty, inviting lust. In small doses, the dizzying and dark mood is irresistible.
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Genre: Hard Rock
Label: Hard Drugs Records
Playing time: 35:35
Band homepage: Who Rides The Tiger
Tracklist:
Your Guts, My Glass
Geronimo
Hollywood Hates You
Where The Sidewalk Ends
Cut You
Billy
Sunshine
Red Hot Shake It
That’s Cat
At Home With The Wolves
Hailing from Los Angeles, California, WHO RIDES THE TIGER is a Hard Rock band that clearly has serious following the L.A. clubs. They play with a mixture of Rock elements and vocals that are always shifting.
Their sound is consistent on the record, each song sounding a little like the last. They have their own sound, which is apparent as the album progresses and one gets the feeling that this is the sort of band that must be seen live in order to fully appreciate. They seem fun and energetic, but the clips on their MySpace undoubtedly show that their essence is most able to be appreciated live on a stage.
From talking, to screaming, to a narcotics-induced mumbling, the vocals are a key element to the style of the band. Their guitars are a little dirty and the drums are pounding and pleasantly loud on the album.
If this review doesn’t entice you to listen to their album, fine. However, perhaps you will change your mind when I tell you that the album can be downloaded on their website at no cost to you. So it’s definitely worth listening to; free music usually is.
Song to check out: “Cut You”.
(Online February 14, 2009)
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Cut and Paste or go to link
http://www.hardrockhaven.net/reviews2008/hrhdecrvws08.php
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