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RockBitch
Motor Driven Bimbo
Review by Gary Hill
Reading a bit of background about this band, it would be easy to see them as a gimmick band of the highest order. Indeed, here you have an almost exclusively female band, who perform mostly in the nude. Add to that the fact that the group routinely enacts real sex acts on stage with each other (and sometimes members of the audience). Certainly the gimmick image would spring to mind. However, when one looks more deeply at the background of the group, they really seem to have a definite political/social agenda, and the extreme sexual behavior is simply a true manifestation of that belief system. The group are firm believers in sexual liberation for all people, but particularly women. They are part of a maternal, communal, pagan society that puts these beliefs to the practice in their everyday life. So, from this information, the group really seems committed to this lifestyle and in changing society's beliefs through their own actions.
Upon listening to the CD, the image of a group of untalented people using sex as a gimmick to sell product is further shattered. The musicians here (Julie, Babe, The Bitch, Nikki, Epone, Luci and The Beast) are all very talented. The music is well written, performed and conceived. Although some of it is far left of center, much of this material is quite accessible, and it is definitely a very listenable CD. RockBitch, consider them rebels, perverts, freaks, goddesses or whatever, but definitely give them a chance. You might be surprised at what you find. One should be warned however, that the lyrical content is very explicit.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: The Early Years Volume 4 at garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-The-Early-Years.
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| Track by Track Review
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SNAFU
With a hard-edged intro that features some killer bass work, this one jumps out of the gate at full run. It drops to a mellower mode after this intro and the overall effect is much like Faith No More meets No Doubt. As it jumps to the bridge, the mode becomes more rap-metal, but killer rap-metal. The lyrics here are certainly not for the squeamish, but this cut has some awesome hard rock textures and is very dynamic. |
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The Church
Hard edged and gritty, make no mistakes from the title, this song is not Christian by any means. It features a very nice keyboard driven bridge with more awesome bass playing. |
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Eveline
Beginning with a sedate and haunting keyboard segment with French vocals, as the cut gets out of this intro it is in a very Faith No More sort of riff. It contains a guitar line that is one of the coolest I have ever heard. It also features some textures that are absolutely incredible. The lyrics seem to fully embody the band's philosophy. "I am not a lady, I live out of time, Sex is what I give you, Reverences divine, I consume the faithful, Holy sexual fire, I defy ascetic, anti-flesh desires." |
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Baby
A rather unique intro, that of a songwriter showing the rest of the band the chord progression for the song, starts this song. The writer plays the chords on an acoustic guitar and explains that it is about "being so into someone that you feel like dying." After this segment, the cut shifts to a great hard rock groove. It is very melodic and strong, and a good contrast to the more extreme pieces that precede it. |
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Sex and The Devil
A techno sort of intro with some backwards sounding vocals leads to a great hard rock groove. There is a vocal segment that recurs on this one that is very unusual, in fact a bit weird. However, I really like it. In fact, the whole vocal performance on this cut is very unique and really makes the piece. The majority of the number is a fairly sparse arrangement in a slower, more plodding mode. However the later segments supercharge this arrangement and it really kicks. |
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Open Letter
Weird sound effects and spoken theatrical dialogue ending with crying makes up this brief number. |
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Nympho
The intro to this one had a very hard-edged retro sound (a bit like Orgy). As the song proper kicks in, it is in a hard edged, rocking mode. The chorus almost calls to mind Sweet's harder moments and some of the other segments touch on the sounds of bands like Kiss and Motley Crue. This one has an awesome bass dominated bridge. "She's not a nymphomaniac, She's more a pyromaniac, She wants you - to turn the world on". |
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Innocence
With a great slower hard rock groove that seems to touch on Korn, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Manson, this one is a very strong one. The bridge is incredibly tasty, and the lyrics include one very clever line. "Innocence, In a Sense, I can make you innocent". This considerably melodic number ends with a brief bass guitar and voice over segment. |
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Lucifer
Beginning with a techno sort of percussion and some nice piano work, other keys add a very progish mode to this one. The vocals here are in a considerably strong and defiant tone. It is a very melodic cut through the first verse with elements that seem to combine mainstream poppish music with prog leanings. The chorus explodes in hard-edged fury. As that segment ends, the piece goes back to its earlier mode, this time with the arrangement being much more quirky. This is a great composition that is very dynamic. The instrumental break just before the end reminds me a bit of the hard edged guitar solo segment of Kiss' "Black Diamond". |
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Essex
Techno/industrial keyboard sounds begin this one, and the cut quickly jumps into high gear, rocking hard and fast for a time. A keyboard interlude gives way to a segment that feels a bit like Korn. This one gets a bit strange, but is quite a strong tune. |
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Tell Me
Another hard edged one, this song really shows off the band's talent for combining catchy mainstream segments with unusual off-kilter cutting edge sounds. The cut ends with something that is pretty much a poetry recitation. |
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Bride of Christ
A killer rocker, this one has a great groove and some awesome vocal work. The lyrics are sure to drastically offend those of the Christian faith, so be warned. The piece ends with the sounds of a female orgasm. |
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Diva
A considerably classically oriented string arrangement makes up the music to this piece. It is a dramatic number that is a strong vocal performance accompanied by the aforementioned instrumentation. This is a very pretty tune. |
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