San Diego-based heavy rockers Formula 400 recently completed a three-week stint that took them across the US and included an appearance at the Maryland Doom Fest over Halloween weekend, where one can only imagine they were greeted warmly. The four-piece’s 2020 debut, Heathens (review here) — vinyl through Glory or Death Records, CD on Animated Insanity — continues to offer riffy thrills from front to back, and the band’s abiding lack of pretense extends to their presentation in their new video for “Messenger” as well, as you can see in the premiere below.

Dudes made a cool record and hit the road — it’s an idea as simple as could be in everything except the timing. Accordingly, “Messenger” follows the band-in-room-playing-song ethic of videography one saw in the prior clip for “Light My Way” — also notable that it’s the second track on the album and “Light My Way” is the opener — though it comes coupled with some clips of Bela Lugosi as Dracula, and that’s good fun too. Is the song about Dracula? Probably not, but it’s definitely about that hook and that’s all I really need, to be honest with you.

That’s kind of thing about Formula 400. Right down to their well-Firebird-was-taken moniker and through the album itself from the whiskey grit of “Ridin’ Easy” to the still-catchy bombast and metallic soloing of “Sun Destroyer” and the closing instrumental “The Long Road Home,” they’re readily telegraphing what they’re about. Ain’t anybody’s first go-round in a band, and they’ve got songwriting solid enough that if you actually put the record on, they make you feel welcome to stay for the duration. Anything else you want to ask of rock and roll is superfluous.

It’s never gonna be the cool thing. The critical hit. Kids won’t be dancing to it on TikTok. But whatever. There’s room in this world for that stuff too. Sometimes it’s okay to just enjoy a groove. So you’ll pardon me if I do that.

Dig:

Formula 400, “Messenger” video premiere

Formula 400 are:
Dan Frick: Guitar and Vox
Kip Page: Bass
Ian Holloway: Guitar and Vox
Lou Voutiritsas: Drums

Formula 400, Heathens (2020)

Formula 400 on Facebook

Formula 400 on Instagram

Formula 400 on Bandcamp

Formula 400 website

Glory or Death Records on Facebook

Glory or Death Records on Instagram

Glory or Death Records on Bandcamp

Glory or Death Records webstore

San Diego’s Formula 400 released their debut album, Heathens, in October 2020 through Glory or Death Records, and the video premiering below for the leadoff track “Light My Way” could hardly be more representative of what’s on offer throughout the record. In it, we see four dudes, showing up in a room, kicking ass until the ass is kicked, and then being done. There are few frills and zero time wasted, and the material is presented without trickery or any pretense whatsoever. At no point in Heathens‘ 31-minute run — from “Light My Way” through the acoustic instrumental closer “The Long Road Home” after the six-minute “Sun Destroyer” as built up and shredded out and stretched itself across what seemed to be the album’s greatest reaches — are Formula 400 attempting to be anything they’re not. They’re cracking a beer and playing some tunes. What more would you ask?

If you missed it above, Heathens is short for an LP, seeming to embody a ‘keep ’em wanting more’ ethic that works fairly enough even with the epilogue they present. Between the gruff delivery of the tracks and the riffs set to turn heads for fans of Wo Fat, Freedom Hawk and the like, they ride grooves like “Messenger” with its grungier hook and the bikerly-fuzzed “Ridin’ Easy” — you know that’s the name of a label, right guys? — smoothly ahead of “Spector,” which is about the now-dead producer/wall-of-sound-innovator/convicted-murderer named in its title. Plainly centered around their riffs, Formula 400‘s offer classic-style shifts in tempo and purpose, steering clear of the heavy psychedelic boogie for which their hometown has become known in recent years in favor of a more straightforward direction, begging no indulgences on their way to a sound that wouldn’t have been out of place on Small Stone Records some 20 years ago. Amazing how time flies. Or rides, as it were.

“Illusion” and “Sun Destroyer” have their hooks in place as well, as guitarist/vocalists Ian Holloway and Dan Frick work smoothly together, bassist Kip Page and drummer Ted Karol righteously refusing to relinquish the groove until the songs are done. The album would make a killer live set, maybe minus the outro for practicality’s sake, and one imagines that’s what Formula 400 had in mind. Until then, they seem glad enough to be making a toast and hitting it for “Light My Way,” and that works too from where I sit.

Nothin’ too fancy, but proof it doesn’t need to be when you do it right.

Enjoy:

Formula 400, “Light My Way” official video premiere

Ian Holloway on “Light My Way”:

“Light My Way” is the first song on our debut album, “Heathens.” It is a song written mostly about dealing with friends who have betrayed you and stabbed you in the back. You gotta burn those bridges down to the ground!

This video was recorded with no budget on a friend’s digital Canon Rebel and some various GoPro cams set up in our rehearsal space. It’s a video of us doing what we do best, rocking out! As with everything else in this band, we do it all ourselves. Enjoy, cheers.

Formula 400 are:
Dan Frick: Guitar and Vox
Kip Page: Bass
Ian Holloway: Guitar and Vox
Ted Karol: Drums

Formula 400, Heathens (2020)

Formula 400 on Thee Facebooks

Formula 400 on Instagram

Formula 400 on Bandcamp

Formula 400 website

Glory or Death Records on Thee Facebooks

Glory or Death Records on Instagram

Glory or Death Records on Bandcamp

Glory or Death Records webstore