Stereo Filth

So after a bucolic week spent in isolation in Snowdonia without any means of playing music, what I really craved was something quiet, restrained and ultimately tasteful; an easing back into the pace of modern life.

So, I dug out a stoner rock instrumental LP inspired by 60’s biker flicks, horror and barbiturates, by a band named after a 1973 occult biker movie*. Let’s face it who couldn’t get their dander up to the likes of ‘Roadkill 69’ and ‘Motö Vampiro’?

Ladies and gentlemen of the road I give you the Death Wheelers I Tread On Your Grave. A more sordid bunch of Canadians than I ever thought possible.

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‘Stereo sounds of sex, sleaze and savagery’ is emblazoned over the front cover pic of a biker riding through a graveyard. ‘The soundtrack to your death‘ underscores ‘The dead still ride’ on the insert. You can’t say you weren’t warned.

Still … the dark power of the opening, title track is a real rush. It’s all badass bass, simple sinful guitar and bad intent. It’s a blast when it picks up serious speed, heavy too.

I love all the bikesploitation and other vocal samples Death Wheelers stir into the mix from time to time, although they really aren’t necessary to set the fetid, sleazy tone – the music does this perfectly without any assistance, but they are fun.

My favourite of these is at the kick off of ‘Roadkill 69’, taken from John Waters^ Pink Flamingos:

Divine, are you a lesbian? yes, I’ve done everything! Does blood turn you on? it does more than turn me on Mr Vader, it makes me come and more than the sight of it I love the taste of it, the taste of hot, freshly-killed blood. Could you give us some of your political beliefs? Kill everyone now!

The best thing about I Tread On Your Grave is just that it is so damnably heavy and groovy, it has real substance. I really rate side 2 opener ‘Black Crack’ for just this reason, you can just tell how much fun they must be having playing it hard and how disciplined they must have been to keep it a sharp 2:17.

I’m very smitten by the Dick Dale-isms of ‘Motö Vampiro’ and the short 60’s jam ‘Purple Wings’, Death Wheelers are capable of all the subtlety and variations you could ever want, its just that its far more fun to go balls-out off a cliff.

The only misstep on I Tread On Your Grave is their faithful cover of Led Zep’s ‘Moby Dick’, no mean feat at all, I get that but I’d far rather have had them crank out another cyclepathic anthem for my delectation.

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Death Wheelers are really excellent players, stand up Max ‘The Axe’, Sy ‘Wild Rye, Richard ‘The Bastard’ and Hugo ‘Red Beard’. It really is a hard thing to crank out a heavy instrumental LP and keep it both interesting and dense enough to take the listener through to the climax. Death Wheelers manage that.

So remember gentle readers, choose good Christian values, choose taste, choose gentle restraint, choose propriety, choose chastity and above all, choose I Tread On Your Grave!

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Bought one May lunchtime at Probe Records in Liverpool I wonder what it was about this yellow vinyl sleaze-fest with cool artwork on the ever-reliable Riding Easy Records that could ever have attracted me to it?

The fake Atlantic Records label is a great touch!

1281 Down.

*British sleazeballs know it as as Psychomania.

^all hail the filth elder!