Man, I missed the days when the occasional metal band would actually play shit that was fun and funny, instead of being so damn serious. Ya know.. Like Scatterbrain or old Anthrax. We'll if you like that kind of thing, try Rumplestiltskin Grinder!

This show was originally supposed to be headlined by Raise Hell from Sweden, but due to a visa problem, they dropped out a few days ago and I requested that the club throw Philadelphia's Rumplestiltskin Grinder a bone. Tony from Jaxx shot me an email that said I got my wish! When the night concluded, I was glad I requested them and the owner of Jaxx really dug 'em, so they should be back sometime in the near future.

While the lyrics of the songs are for the most part being tinged with humor, the music itself is pretty damn hot. Thrashing guitars with complex rhythms and time signature switches abound, the show was like a party at the band's practice space. The music was also very catchy and had tons of hooks that you could rock out to even if it was your first time hearing them. With such short notice, the club was pretty dead, but the people who were there had a blast. The band was on the drunkish side, so they were very entertaining. They weren't so loaded that they couldn't play worth a shit though. They rocked it out! The looks of the band added to the fun factor. Guitarist A looked like a dude who just got off work at your local bank. Clean cut, short, and had the perfect look for a suit. Guitarist B on the other hand, was the Mini-Me version of Slash from GnR, except he had much larger hair! The bass player/vocalist was a huge dude who made his bass look like a standard 6 string. The singer sported a "whitey-afro", which he thanked his parents (who were there) for during the show. The drummer looked exactly like Kim Thayil from Soundgarden. So as you can see, their look fit their sound.

This is one of those bands that would probably be awesome to be a member of because you could just tell that these dudes were the best of friends and that they aren't serious enough to fight about money, integrity, and all the other dramas of the professional rock world. Another fun thing was that the drummer from Raise Hell had already bought his tickets for their tour and couldn't get a refund. So, he came on over to the U.S. and came on down to the show with the Grinder boys. Before they came to the show they spent a few hours practicing a Raise Hell tune and then listened to it non-stop during the road trip. After 3 attempts to kick off the song to end the show, they finally all got synched up and managed to get through the song and didn't do too damn bad at it. The Raise Hell drummer sat in for the song while RG's drummer took over the singing role. I think they had to attempt the song three times because the RH drummer wasn't on his presonal kit and he was also incredibly drunk. Like I said earlier, these dudes play for the fun of it. It just so happens they are very good too. In the end I rate 'em as 9 out of 10. This would be one of those love/hate bands though. If you like fun metal, you would love these guys. If you are all grumpy and angry and uptight about your metal, you would loathe them.

In my next report I hope to give you the scoop on the Lacuna Coil show on May 11th! Stay tuned.

Go to the BGR gallery (CLICK HERE) and check out my pics from last night's the show.

BE SURE to check out our friends at JAXX NIGHTCLUB! www.jaxxroxx.com

If you would like to attend a Jaxx show please let me know. I might be able to drag you along with me.

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And oh yeah...

Peace and Metal Grease!

berube