all hail chicago's new wave of midwestern garage metal

Bible of the Devil
"Brutality, Majesty, Eternity"
Scary Records, Italy, 2005

Perhaps Chicago is the NYC or LA of the Midwest, packed with uber-hip turds clamoring to jump aboard the latest indie rock gravy train, caring more about how they look than the sounds that enter their ears. But I dunno, man; the Windy City has more than its fair share of good bands these days, and Bible of the Devil leads that charge, lacking any of the pretense or irony that defined my past thoughts of "Chicago rock." And they're number one with a bullet, to be sure.

"Brutality, Majesty, Eternity" is BotD's third proper album and finds the band really coming into its own as a group. The metal influences are more apparent than ever, with the dueling leads of Thin Lizzy and Iron Maiden finding their way into most of the songs. While the palette of influences broadens, the basics are still there: the aforementioned bands, as well as liberal doses of Motorhead, Turbonegro, Accept, and their buddies the Lord Weird Slough Feg. It doesn't really jibe with what the cool kids are probably actually spinning, but what do the cool kids know anyway? I'd rather hang out with the heshers at the back of the classroom, wouldn't you? Good music will always be good music, and tasty licks abound on this sucker.

The thing that bowls me over with BotD is the same thing that struck a huge chord with me when I first heard "Apocalypse Dudes" by Turbonegro. Same concept. What it is is this: these guys are rock scholars. They've mined the past, they have superior taste, and they've distilled a lot of rock, hard rock, and metal into one absolutely ass-rocking package. They are a band worth obsessing over. A band that you can be proud to call one of your favorites. I do and I do, thanks.

From the opening track "Guns, Germs, Steel" (based on the bestseller of the same name by Jared Diamond found in Borders' biology section), it's made clear that this is a step up from the last effort "Tight Empire." The melodic leads are more melodic, the vocals have more testicular fortitude, and the band kicks it out like a machine. Gibsons plugged into Marshalls is a be-yoo-tiful concept, my mangs; BotD brings this idea to fruition. And there aren't any misfires on here, either...just plenty of smokin' tunes. "Cocaine Years, Cocaine Tears" is a particular standout in the live set with the a cappela ending, and "Flee" crushes lives with its galloping guitar crunch. To say that Mark Hoffman and Nate Perry push their limits is putting it lightly; it is great to watch two guitarists (in the same band, even) both keep setting the bar higher for themselves and then shattering that high only a couple songs later. To say the playing improved between this album and the last is not taking the shredability seriously enough. As a former song title states, "Fuckin' A."

If it were any more over the top, it would probably get old, but for now they're ruling just fine. Stay away from the hobbitry, get those Masters from Iron U., and keep churning out the high quality riffage.

Bottom line: This record probably is my favorite "metal" album of 2005. It is a must-own.

-Mike

www.bibleofthedevil.com