Pure Punk Picks
X-Fire – Bullet LaVolta
In the early eighties, when Andy and I first met and started, together, attending the local Boston punk clubs- the punk and metal scenes didn’t intermingle.
Andy Bang, five years younger than myself, grew up on metal in his teen with bands such as Sabbath, Scorpions and Judas Priest. While I grew up on glitter rock or what is now called glam rock, meaning- Lou Reed, Bowie, and Roxy Music.
So though we primarily attended punk shows, I do remember going to see metal shows at The Channel. These were mostly “hair metal” shows which was popular at the time.
And actually, hair metal is probably my favorite genre in metal as it has a big influence from glam rock. While Andy being a true hardcore/metal fan looks down upon that style, which I can understand.
I’m sure, at the time, if you turned up with long hair to try out for a local punk band you were told not to even set up. Likewise, if you showed up for an audition for a metal band with short hair.
But towards the later eighties, the tide turned. Long hair started to be seen in punk bands. One of the original hardcore bands, The FU’s, became the metal orientated Straw Dogs. Then The Bags arose, being a bang that was equally influenced by The Ramones and Black Flag as well as Metallica. And creating music that sounded much like what was to become known as grunge in Seattle, in five years or so.
And this is the time that punk and metal shook hands. And agreed that what was hard and heavy was all right, as long as it was true and passionate it was welcomed, whether it was punk, hardcore or metal.
Which is probably why our little website contains all those styles.
I guess some would say that grunge was the result, the baby of this marriage- I don’t know. Not a fan of that style much, though I do love riot grrl.
But what really happened was a crossover of styles that had begun before with bands like Slayer, Sepultura and others-that took full force at the time and continues to this day.
And there was this band that started in Boston in the mid eighties called Bullet LaVolta.
Here was a band that was, obviously, punk and hardcore inspired but had lots of hard rock and metal influences, too. And they were quite popular locally at the time and recorded a few excellent albums.
After a calm, moody start, “X-Fire” kicks in with an energy that recalls Black Flag songs like “Rise Above” or “Six Pack.”
I hear a bit of The Dictators and Black Flag in the vocals and a lot of metal in the guitars. With a guitar solo that sounds like it could be an outtake from the “Raw Power” album by Iggy & The Stooges. And with enough energy and push in the rhythm to please any punk/hardcore fan along with the metal crunch in the guitars to please a metal headbanger.
The last part of the tune when they chant “Turn me over”, I believe, and the energy really kicks in is my favorite part of the song. And it ends with a great line- “Burn your face off.”
A couple of years ago I met the singer of this band at a show, Yukki Gipe, then introduced to me simply as Kurt. One thing we talked about was our mutual love for Iggy & The Stooges.
And now, revisiting Bullet LaVolta’s music- I think, what a good reference that is for this band.
The Stooges, the quintessential proto-punk band, combined garage, hard rock and psychedelia to create an amazingly hard hitting, honest style that forecasted the punk, the metal, the hardcore that was soon to come and that they would heavily influence.
Just like the best punk, the best metal also had a true, no bullshit vibe. I’m thinking of bands that I mentioned before but also, Motorhead and AC/DC- both whom I don’t consider metal but were categorized as such, in the early eighties. These are two bands that Andy turned me on to, or introduced to me, and my initial reaction before listening to them was, “I don’t really like metal.”
And my reaction to, after listening to both “Ace Of Spades” by Motorhead and “Powerage” by AC/DC was- this is so fucking amazing! This is so fucking great!
Nowadays, we’re all past shaking hands. And hair length doesn’t even matter. Tags and descriptions of bands are pretty useless except, maybe, for those who do music reviews.
But when you musically tag integrity, truth and passion and can legitimately do so, and you play rock music- then chances are you are playing punk or you are playing hardcore or you are playing metal. And if you’re not, you’re gonna tag yourself punk just to latch onto some of that integrity that that word now implies.
Bullet LaVolta encompassed all those genres, and all those adjectives as well. Just an early, mostly forgotten proponent of music that thrives, at least artistically, to this day.
This is music that doesn’t pull any punches, that isn’t polite.
That tells it how it is, overflowing with honest emotion and passion, full of grit, energy and intelligence. And when it’s at its’ best, like it is with this band, and with this song, there is simply, nothing better.
And that musical street that you all walk upon, that you all walk upon while reading this-
Bullet LaVolta helped paved that road.
(Slimedog)
