Yardboss
We Wish We Were Dead ‘92
The inaugural three-song release from Dayton, Ohio punk quintet is a gauntlet of sound and fury that leverages gang vocals to maximum affect and pits the competing musical egos of three daredevil guitarists against each other in a bare-knuckle rock death cage bout that runs around seven minutes.
Though there’s a devil-may-care looseness to the outfit that gives them some roughed up and stylish edges, it’s also clear that there is a degree of aptitude here as the output finds them in league with Source Tags and Codes-era Trail of Dead.
While the first two cuts burst through with a biting force driven by gratuitously noisy guitars, on “1000 Beers” the band steer into a dreamier lane, where vocalist/bassist Christian Roerig (also of The Skulx and The Nightbeast) stomps into the spotlight to deliver a biting narrative of excess as he sings, “I think I snorted all these feelings up my nose,” while harmonizing with his bandmates.
This is an intriguing first effort from a dangerous bunch that will rip you to shreds with its sheer magnitude. Expect to invest 1,000 listens…then 1,000 more. (Rad Girlfriend)