Bulletwolf, As Fast as My Home Town: Goes Great with that Dreamcatcher Vest
Posted in Reviews on February 21st, 2011 by JJ KoczanThey booze, they bruise, and depraved Hoosiers that they are, Bulletwolf do it all with charm on their side on their second, self-released full-length, As Fast as My Home Town. I don’t know how fast Indianapolis actually moves, but if the eight tracks on the record are any indicator, it’s a fairly good clip most of the time and includes a bit of Melvins for good measure (they cover “Honey Bucket” from Houdini). Like the best of their two prior releases, the 2009 album, Double Shots of Rock ‘n’ Roll and the preceding 2008 demo, Demolanolin, As Fast as My Home Town has plenty of nasty, punishing heavy rock, the four-piece going all out in terms of both alcohol intake and volume on “6,” “Cabernet Jay” and burly opener “(Way Too Young, To) Party Serious,” which shows more than a little punk influence brought to the fore by the production job of “Iron” Bob Fouts (Apostle of Solitude, ex-The Gates of Slumber), who handles whatever the material throws at him in good fashion, leading the mix with the two guitars and letting bassist Worm’s vocals cut through as they should without being overbearing.
Rest assured that As Fast as My Home Town is heavy as balls, but there’s more to Bulletwolf’s attack than just riffs, and when they play fast, they really play fast. Guitarists “Chris” and TJ rip through the 1:12 of “Cabernet Jay” with blinding dexterity, echoing the start of the album but pushing themselves further, playing harder. But still, they’re not entirely the focus. Worm’s bass and the drums of Don E. are consistently in lockstep with the guitars, the latter especially serving to affect many of the changes in the songs. On the Neanderthal-inspired “Quest for Fire,” Bulletwolf remind of Beaten Back to Pure or the heavier end of dirt rock more than some of their punkish turns, but they’re no less believable on the motoring “Right on (Ride on),” which along with “Honey Bucket” and “Quest for Fire” is in the minority of songs on As Fast as My Home Town that don’t explicitly mention alcohol one way or another. Call it a singularity of focus, and any way you want to take it, go ahead. It comes in cans and bottles, draft if you’re lucky.