Move! It’s rhythmic chaos. Just try to stay still, with your head down, as the swift-sledging drums and unwavering roar of guitars from this tremendous rock n’ roll blast out from the amps. Tremendous, sure, but, actually, it’s kind of a beastly rock n’ roll. This Ypsi outfit is named for a beast – growling with that extra “r” on the end of it.
The local quintet has a new album coming out at the end of the month. They were inspired, at least initially, by consummate confrontationalists of the 90’s era like The Jesus Lizard. Lizerrd features Joshua Tafelski and James North shredding those guitars with grit and gusto, drummer Larry Johnson and bassist Jheremie Jacque affecting strangely-groovy, yet altogether devastating rhythmic tidal waves. And, then there’s our vocalist, Anthony Gentile, a motivational screamer with a voice where you can hear its teeth, a yowl where you can maybe even feel the splash of saliva. How are you going to sit still when listening to this? I’m not saying you have to mosh, even, but, there’s a reason we consider this beastly-rock, it awakens something primal within you – makes you feel like its okay to howl at the moon; that it’s natural to howl at the moon.
It’s loud and forceful, yes, but this exertion is necessary; this voluminous, guitar-centric, tremulous kind of rock, is necessary. Their upcoming EP is a brew of post-hardcore/pre-grunge/weird-metal, mayhem arranged into verses, choruses and bridges with nitroglycerine crescendos. You might lose your lungs sing/screaming along to it.
This group has been playing together for five years – forging a familial friendship after a series of formative bills shared among their former bands, particularly during some loud nights at Woodruff’s and a fateful Halloween-themed show where they covered The Jesus Lizard. Lizerrd, though, formed into its own creature, culling together a batch of original material meant to stay in the red, but never make too much of a mess; the guitars balance each other out – rhythmic hooks under splintering solos; while the drum/bass keep the fiery freight train tightly onto the tracks; the vocals, well, they epitomize the anxious, somewhat angry/somewhat heroic Id inside of us all, screaming to get out and get its way.
June 28th – Release show for Lizerrd’s No Matter What You Have Done –
Small’s Bar in Hamtramck, MI (10339 Conant, St. 313-873-1117)
Featuring: SNAKEWING, Burned or Buried and All The Wild Children.
More info: https://www.facebook.com/Lizerrd / https://lizerrd.bandcamp.com/
Jeff covers music for Current, posting weekly show previews and highlighting new bands in the area.
