We try to give people the benefit of the doubt and for Nashville’s Friendship Commanders, guitarist/vocalist Buick Audra and drummer Jerry Roe, I’m hard-pressed to understand why this 2018 album BILL was re-released with Steve Albini mixes. The band has some heavy riffing and massive drum interplay but the melodies I feel as if we’ve all heard before. No lie though, both musicians together put together thunderous rhythms while Audra’s vocal delivery draws from and is reminiscent of 90s-era metal. At least for me, it doesn’t work well but that’s just my own opinion and you know, opinions are subjective.

SWAMI & THE BED OF NAILS – ALL OF THIS AWAITS YOU

Complacency is a spot we all become familiar with at one point or another but for some, it’s never the go-to option. There’s growth, which is always a good thing while still focusing on the same formula that’s earned them notoriety. Again, we often hear and see it going in both directions but when it’s done correctly, yeah, all bets are off!

John Reis returns with another Swami release but although 2022 saw the release of the proper solo album Ride The Wild Night under his own name Swami John Reis, his new release is more than that. Billed as Swami & The Bed Of Nails, with an assortment of musicians rounding out the bedding – piano/synth man Joe Guevara, drummer Jason Koukounis (Hot Snakes/Night Marchers), drummer Richard Larson, bassist Tommy Kitsos (Night Marchers), guitarist Mark Murino (Radio Wendy), as well as Rob Crow (Pinback), Anthony Anzaldo (Ceremony), and Jacob Turnbloom (Mrs. Magician). The songs compiled here on All Of This Awaits You (Swami/BMG) were actually “born out of the final Hot Snakes writing sessions” last year and while there may be some semblances of his longtime bandmate Rick Froberg (Drive Like Jehu/Hot Snakes), it’s clear the band moves in a different direction altogether.  

As expected, the band starts off strong with “How Are You Peeling,” the band’s first single, which draws you in immediately with driving guitars, a quick-handed rhythm and Reis’ weathered voice. The band hits with its transition into the chorus with heavenly guitar interplay that reverts back to its original thundering form. You might miss the harmonies but the band definitely won’t let you. Swami & The Bed Of Nails sets the tone from jump. The band restlessly churns out straightforward punk gems too. While they may seem derivative, still, it nourishes your soul. “Ketchup, Mustard and Relish” may start off mimicking Ramones riffery with similar vocal melodies but man, it just might be what we need as Guevara wipes the track down with his keyboard. But it’s “Shock And Awe” that I keep going back to, with an energy level that’s off the Richter scale. The driving force of the song is coupled with spirited melodies and rife with catchy harmonies strewn around. There’s a method to the powerful madness here. This is classic rockery filled with punk enthusiasm. Reis’ raspy voice fits perfectly across the musical landscape here. While most of the songs clock in at just over the 2-minute mark, this 4-minute plus rocker is one of the greatest songs ever written.

All Of This Awaits You is what you might expect from Reis and his cohorts but as always, everything sounds fresh as he finds a way to reimagine sounds that have been worked and reworked in the past. Either you’re in or you’re out, there’s no half-stepping. If you’re smart, you’ll say all the way fucking in!