AMERICAN SPEEDWAY
"Ship of Fools"
(Prophase; 2008)
Reviewed by Metal Mark
A lot of bands talk about playing genuine rock, but it doesn't take long to tell who is genuine and who is full of hot air.
Philadelphia's American Speedway have only been around for a little over a year and they may be full of Pabst Blue Ribbon, but they are real enough. It's kind of like the New Bomb Turks bumped into Motorhead on their way to an AC/DC concert. There are no pretences, hidden agendas or extra baggage here, but instead it's fairly straight out, gritty hard rock and I think that's all these guys were aiming for.
So mission accomplished there and they also succeed in not overstaying their welcome which could be a problem for this style. The bulk of their formula is driven by fire and fun and they maintain enough of both to keep the album going.
I doubt it's an album than anyone could listen to all the time because it's definitely something you have to be in a certain mood for. I think the key here is don't take yourselves too seriously and
American Speedway obviously don't. It's the kind of music where you can just can just kick back and enjoy it without having to concentrate that much. At times that can be great so it's good that there are bands out there plugging
away at it like American Speedway.
For more information, check out http://www.myspace.com/americanspeedway.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright ? 2008 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised: 01 Jul 2024 12:10:24 -0400.
