DESTROY SHE SAID – Down To Dirty (2012)

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Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, the five piece Hard Rock band DESTROY SHE SAID have followed up their two EP releases in 2011 with the full-length debut album “Down To Dirty”.

This is a band with the classic Australian riff-based Hard Rock sound that erupts from your speakers with molten riffs and supercharged attitude.

There’s an admitted Rose Tattoo feel to the bedrock of a few of these powerful tunes, also some The Angels and of course, some AC/DC influence can clearly be heard in the ballsy, blues based riffage, the enormous grooves, the tightness of the rhythm section and in the general aesthetic.

However, unlike a couple of other bands we could mention, these guys are far from a carbon copy of the aforementioned Aussie rock juggernauts.

Destroy She Said sound is more pub-rock and they inject an even stronger sense of boogie into their sound. The general tone projected in the music and lyrics is a little darker too.

Simon McCullough’s vocals resemble Bon Scott’s larynx being flayed alive with a sandpaper and gravel dermabrasion treatment, but he also reminds me Graham Bonnet on the more personal sounding tracks of the band.

The weight of Dave Walker and Youngy’s Marshall amps-fueled guitar riffs are thick, while Scampers and Greg Aldridge stomp with mighty rhythm section work on bass and drums respectively.

No mercy is offered in these ten red hot, ballsy rockin’ tracks.

Sleazy characters come as thick and fast as killer riffs – from “Overrated” talking about ‘medicated drama queen in an overrated social scene’, through “Hookers Don’t Kiss” (what a fun number) ‘sweet little thing, smelt just like a flower’ to the eighties model/stripper of “Drivin’ Machine” – saints they ain’t, but great songs one and all they do make.

The sunday school tale of “Squirter” instantly reminds you Rose Tatoo both in lyrics as sonically, whilst the swagger of “She Fanged It” is pure amusement over some wah-wah pedal.

All the famous elements of traditional hard are here; metronome like drumming, hot riffs, frenzied solos, gravel throated singer, but there’s more.

“Down To Dirty” is not just some one dimensional Aussie pub rock album, some dynamics are injected late in the process.

“You Might Think I Love You” is a more atmospheric, slow burning groove, although still plenty powerful, and McCullough gives a mighty, lung bursting performance on this one that sends shivers down the spine.

Last track “It’s Coming Out Now” is a raunchy shuffle, interspersed with some heavy heavy blues, and is pretty unexpected as well. These guys saved the best til last.

“Down To Dirty” is a tough, straight and honest Hard Rock record: ten tracks of guitar-driven ballsy rock fueled by a vicious rhythm section and driven home by the particular vocals of Simon McCullough.

What puts Destroy She Said in a different place than the many bands playing this style is their freshness. Yeah, there’s an Aussie pub rock sound going on at its core – but what you can hear from this young band is their hunger to rock, rock hard uncompromisingly.

Classic (Hard) Rock is alive and kickin’ in Down Under land.

01. Overrated

02. Game Over

03. Squirter

04. No Church

05. She Fanged It

06. Hookers Don’t Kiss

07. Fanta Pants

08. Drivin’ Machine

09. You Might Think I Love You…

10. It’s Coming Out Now

Simon McCullough – vocals

Youngy – guitar

Dave Walker – guitar

Scampers – bass

Greg Aldridge – drums

BUY IT !

itunes.apple.com/us/album/down-to-dirty/id562583678