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Metal/Prog Metal CD Reviews

The Workhorse III

The Workhorse III

Review by Gary Hill

This trio has produced a cool disc. It’s definitely got plenty of metal built into it, but there’s a lot of punk rock and garage sounds, too. At times I’m reminded of Metallica, Rush and Zeppelin. The vocals (female) are along the lines of Joan Jett in the Runaways. There are parts that call to mind Black Sabbath, but the prevailing influence would seem to be Motorhead. All in all, this is a strong disc.


This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2010  Volume 5 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review
Let It Begin

There’s a lot of punk rock on this, but also a Motorhead type of heavy metal. It reminds me of the kind of music the Runaways would have done had they been more pure punk with Motorhead added to the mix. It’s an aggressive and rather raw tune that’s quite cool.

Revolution Blood Machine
Bass leads this off, again reminding me a lot of Motorhead. There’s a bit of a Sabbath-like riff driving this screamer. I can also make out some Zeppelin here. Rather than the Runaways here, I’m reminded a bit of Warlock. There’s a cool garage band twinge to the guitar solo on this number.
Down So Long

A bass driven and more melodic metal sound brings this in, reminding me a bit of early Iron Maiden. It powers out to something that feels like early Rush meets The Runaways. There’s a definite Motorhead vibe later, but that Iron Maiden texture returns, too.

Die Tonight
Here we get a cut that’s much more punk. It’s very much like the Runaways, but more punk rock oriented. The instrumental section later takes it more into an old school metal style, but when the vocals return it is more punk again.
Face In The Crowd
Raw and punky, this is another cool tune. It seems to have equal amounts of punk rock and heavy metal in its arrangement.
Glory And The Sun
There’s a smoking Zeppelin-like riff driving this stripped down garage styled rocker. There’s a cool hook on the chorus.
Fear Is Law
Metal meets punk in this hard rocker. It’s definitely raw and while it’s very similar to the rest of the music here, the formula isn’t starting to wear thin at all. There’s a cool ascending segment later.
Workhorse I
Noisy and very cool, I like this track a lot. It’s an instrumental that reminds me a lot of early Iron Maiden. I can also make out some early Metallica on it.
Slipping Away
Bass brings this one in and then a killer retro guitar sound joins. This has a bit of a Sabbath vibe in a way, but it’s much more in a punk rock garage band style. There’s a short drum solo on this and then they take it out into a jam that’s closer to Rush circa their first album.
Infect The Masses

There’s definitely a bit of a Motorhead vibe here. It’s got a lot of punk rock in the mix, but that doesn’t mean the metal is completely gone; it’s not. The lyrics here definitely get a parental warning.

War Machine
Motorhead is definitely on the plate here. This cut seems to have a very memorable hook. I looked to see if it was a cover, but I don’t see that listed in the credits. It really feels like I’ve heard it before by someone else, though. They slow it down with this killer garage band jam later.
What You Wanted
Another that’s catchy and has a great garage band texture, this feels a lot like a punkier Runaways.
 
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