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Hot Snakes | Thunder Down Under (Swami) |
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Written by David Lichius
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Wednesday, 06 September 2006 |
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It has the fanatic, music geek stamp of approval.
Hot Snakes' 2005 release Peel Sessions was a
fairly under whelming release. True, it was the final session recorded
shortly before the legendary John Peel passed away, but other than its
possible historical aspect, it was diehard-only release. As it went,
Hot Snakes shut it down the year as well, leaving Peel Sessions apparently as its final release. Perhaps this is a tad melodramatic, but as a big-time fan, Peel Sessions wasn't indicative of just how great this band could be. It would have been quite a tepid way to go out.
Dropping out of the sky like an empty Coke bottle lands Thunder Down Under.
While the existence of these recordings was known of by a number of
fans, this release should come as a pleasant surprise for Hot Snakes
fans. Recorded for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, this
session allotted Hot Snakes enough time to record 13 tracks live in
studio. While one might expect a studio to be a rather sterile
environment to play live, Hot Snakes are positively on fire. With
"Braintrust" setting the tone for the set, Hot Snakes have made an
excellent live record sans club, smoke, and an audience. While the set
is heavily composed of cuts from "Suicide Invoice" and "Audit in
Progress," it also contains the previous compilation only track "US
Mint" and the pointless inclusion of a rendition of "Rock n' Roll Will
Never Die." Aside from that minor misstep, Thunder Down Under is the record that Hot Snakes can close their recorded input with. It has the fanatic, music geek stamp of approval.
RIYL: Drive Like Jehu, The Wipers, Rocket From the Crypt
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