Godspeed You, Monster Magnet (Spit Blood - The Atomic Bitchwax)

Member Name: Frankingsteins

Product:	Spit Blood - The Atomic Bitchwax
Date:	30/01/08 (12 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Technically accomplished stoner rock that knows when to take it easy.

Disadvantages: Some instrumentals are less inspired than others.

The Atomic Bitchwax is a stoner rock supergroup of sorts, featuring members of Monster Magnet and Godspeed, but being stoner rock it never lets the talents of its performers interfere with the overall laid-back atmosphere and calculated simplicity of the music. 'Spit Blood' is a generous E.P. of seven songs that lasts for over half an hour, and could easily have been passed off as an album with a little more padding that would likely have been to its disadvantage, and it seems to have been more of an exercise in keeping the fans alerted to the band's continuing existence than a real desire to put out some new material.

Beginning with a decent, if uninspired cover of AC/DC's 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,' listeners should know what to expect within the first few seconds of Ed Mundell's slow, fuzzy guitars and Chris Kosnik's gravelly vocals, but fortunately this turns out to be one of the weaker offerings here, and in no way representative of the band's real talents despite its relative enjoyment. 'Liquor Queen' is an alternate version of an earlier song from the Atomic Bitchwax catalogue, and it serves as a perfect example of stoner rock's more technical side, with unprecedented fast drums and guitar riffs that bear the distinct sign of Black Sabbath influence (specifically around the 'Vol. 4' album). As a technically-minded instrumental, this will likely divide the fans who approached this E.P. expecting some simplistic, Queens of the Stone Age or Fu Manchu style slow riffing for twelve songs straight, but these guys wouldn't let themselves get away with that.

'Get Your Gear' slows things down a little and sees the vocals return now that Kosnik has time to spare, and the song is much longer as a result. Mundell's influence here shifts to earlier Black Sabbath, with a riff reminiscent of the classic 'NIB,' before changing to more customary Led Zeppelin worship in the successor 'Cold Day in Hell,' a less stellar instrumental that it's easy to drift away from without the vocals to ground the listener. The same goes for the average title track, before the final two songs offer some rare, old-school, previously unreleased material that the fans should love, both of which are among the best material here, especially the finale which is the longest and most entertaining instrumental jam yet.

With their tight musicianship and instrumental dominance, the Atomic Bitchwax are a rare example of an innovative band in a genre that usually favours a throwback sound to hard rock's golden period. This isn't the most essential release simply for being comparatively short, but it's far from a greedy, corporate cash-in at the same time.

1. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
2. Liquor Queen
3. Get Your Gear
4. Cold Day in Hell
5. Spit Blood
6. Black Trans
7. U Want I Should

Summary: The Atomic Bitchwax's first E.P. (2002).