American Sharks - American Sharks

Artist: American Sharks
Album: American Sharks
Year: 2013
Rating: 76/100

Texan stoner/fuzz power trio American Sharks do not mess about. Their self-titled debut effort is a short, but sweet blast of monolithic guitar riffs from guitarist Will Ellis and raspy vocals from bassist and vocalist Mike Hardin, topped off with a boundless supply of raw hardcore punk energy right from the word "go".

Opening track "Iron Lungs" roars into life unrelentingly, clocking in at just a minute and a half, which, albeit short, is more than enough time for the band to get their point across. Unsurprisingly, this sets the tone for the rest of the album. "Satan's Overture Part 1" has a suitably evil intro, with some of the dirtiest guitar work on the album, while "XVI" sounds like Clutch, Red Fang and Black Flag locking horns in a three way standoff.

If there is any criticism to be levelled at "American Sharks", it's primarily that the album is far too short, clocking in at a mere 20 minutes for just 9 tracks. It's nothing groundbreaking or even original, but there's plenty here to keep the listener occupied, especially with the songs being as short as they are. Fans of Clutch, Black Flag, Red Fang, Scissorfight and Doomriders would be highly advised to check this one out.

Track list

1. Iron Lungs
2. Overdrive
3. Satan's Overture Part 1
4. Indian Man
5. XVI
6. Freak Out
7. Demon With Glass Sword
8. Cocaine
9. 11:11