Lvger

Reviews

Lvger Fvll Villain LP

Have you ever wondered what it’d sound like if HIGH ON FIRE’s Matt Pike decided to stop dicking about and get into full MOTÖRHEAD worship instead? Me neither, and as it turns out it’s a question that probably should remain unanswered; in the ether. LVGER’s debut full-length only clocks in at six songs but feels about six years; with several tracks pushing an agonising four minutes in length, the sheer lack of urgency or any self-control really begins to drag at stages. While the riffs are undoubtedly robust, there’s more than a little of the bootcut jean about this record and it’s hard to ignore. Not for me.

Lvger You Wanna Rvn? 12″

New York’s LVGER’s six-song debut 12″ takes a step back to the mid-’80s/early-’90s nexus where punk, metal, and rock hadn’t really formalized off, and clear, song-driven rock’n’roll tracks punched with the heavy riffage of metal and the blunt crudity of punk. There are whiffs of MOTÖRHEAD’s swagger, but the songs largely have the measured musical restraint of AT WAR or early DANZIG with their methodical soloing or traces of the bands Oi! roots (this band includes members of the TEMPLARSs and 45 ADAPTERS), with paced choruses and gruffly sung-shouted vocals. Well-played, solidly recorded, proficient, and sturdy, this holds up to repeat listens, and is catchy enough to stick with you, but also recalls that earlier, interesting time of music where direction was uncertainly murky, and could kick harder in heaviness, melody, and/or overdrive to leave a deeper footprint. The LP cover is a diagram of a Luger pistol, there is no lyric sheet, and song titles include “Evil Eye,” “Dumb Love,”and “Drop the Ace.” Limited to 280 copies—a great listen leaves you ready for the next.