Since their formation in 2014 and with two EPs already under their belt already, in the form of 2015’s ‘Two Steps to Oblivion’ & 2016’s ‘Dirty’, Brisbane sleaze rockers Snake Bite Whiskey have finally put together a full length album for lovers of that 80’s Sunset Strip glam metal with all the filthy sex rock that goes with it. ‘This Side of Hell’ is a collection of ten sleazy rock tracks that have an almost punky edge to them at times.
Vocalist Jay R leads the way once more with his gritty lyrical deliveries as the fast paced ‘Damnation Alley’ kicks the album in the proverbial bollocks to begin thirty five minutes of 80’s glam sleaze at its best. ‘Down in the Dirt’ does exactly that as it drags us feet first through some filthy rock n roll before we emerge the other side, as Jay R “Hits us with another shot of morphine” as he leads us into ‘Ain’t Dead Yet’. The rhythm is tight as hell on this release as drummer Al “Ace” Bukva & bassist Stacii Blake keep the band in total check throughout, as the four-piece Queenslanders launch into ‘Spin’ which must certainly be a live favourite, as it twists and turns with tempo changes throughout.
I thought ‘B.A.M.’ stood for Bloody Awesome Music but in the world of sleaze rock it could only stand for ‘Bad Ass Motherfucker’ – this is a track you want to sing loud & proud out of the car window… but maybe close those windows up tight for fear of police attention & reprisals! ‘Last Man Standing’ is like reading from the sleaze bible as SBW tells us the three most important rules to live your life by in the world of rock n roll with the repetitive but catchy sing-a-long chorus of ‘Drink, Fuck, Rock’, which is another winner on this collection. ‘Drinking For Two’ slows things down just slightly as guitarist Dave Arens continues to flex his guitar muscles at every opportunity. ‘Another Day’ is the closest thing you’re ever going to get to a ballad on this album and even then the Snake Bite Whiskey boys can’t resist rocking it right up at every opportunity.
‘New Revolution’ is a slower bouncy bit of rock heaven as it swaggers and sways throughout and is probably my favourite on this collection of songs. The album closer is the punchy pacey rocker with ‘She Likes Machines’ straight from the Strip itself and could quite easily have been taken from any of the demos of those iconic forefathers of the 80s scene that ended up filling countless stadiums across the world with raw rock undertones that hits you like a slap in the face.
The word on the street is that Snake Bite Whiskey are most certainly one of those bands that need to be seen to be believed and adding any of these ten tracks to their live set will do the guys no harm at all. A solid glam/sleaze rock album by one of Australia’s finest bands delivering this genre of music, Snake Bite Whiskey will hopefully continue to grow and build on this solid debut album and produce more of this fine work.
Track Listing:
Damnation Alley
Down in the Dirt
Ain’t Dead Yet
Spin
B.A.M.
Last Man Standing
Drinking For Two
Another Day
New Revolution
She Likes Machines
