Album Review: The Datsuns - Death Rattle Boogie

Holyshitballs this record is LOUD! The album follows what is written on the packaging, with death metal, some rattling rock and some ass-shaking boogie as you progress through the tracklisting.

As the opener to their fifth LP, in their tenth year as a band, Gods Are Bored reintroduces the fury of The Datsuns straight up. The album moves into psychedelic turf with Gold Halo, but always with the metal Iron Maiden style backbone that has served them so well over the years. Axethrower steps into concept album territory with dodgy wind effects and a serious storytelling vocal, while Bullseye plays more to the poptastic side that radio appreciates. Skull Full Of Bone leans towards the funky, and Shadow Looms Large provides a '60s garage rock straight four to tap along with. Wander The Night provides a lengthy musical interlude mid album sounding vaguely Doors-like, minus the Hammond.

The latter half of the album holds up to the first, with single after single leaping out of the speakers to smash your face with a blood orange ripe with moshable chord madness. Helping Hand, Hole In Your Head, Fools Gold, Goodbye Ghosts (hello Jerry Lee Lewis jangle keys!), Brain Tonic... they could all fill the current void of real rock on mainstream and indie radio tomorrow. Album coda Death Of Me combines all three aspects of the album to nicely round out the Death Rattle Boogie experience.

They set out to crystalise their legacy, capture the essence of The Datsuns and offer it to the gods of the listener as ritual sacrifice for their balls-out rock talent. In doing so they have produced the best rock album of 2012. Holyshitballs.