Heart Attacks

There’s a distinct divide between the glam rock of say, Warrant, where affectation spoke louder than the music, and that of the truly instinctual and offensive elements that created Appetite for Destruction-era Guns N’ Roses. Those were the guys you just knew were the real deal and had probably done all of the bad things they sang about instead of glorifying them. That true-to-life essence has been kept alive over the years by a variety of bands, most of who associate closer to punk rock than anything else. From Norway’s Silver even to acts such as Wednesday 13, they may take just as much care with the looks as the sound but at least the sound is there. Subscribing to this scene with a pint of blood, a litre of piss and a barrel of vinegar, Heart Attacks grind out those sleazy AC/DC-meets-early Stones riffs (filtered through a touch of Rancid poppiness) with the attitude of a bike gang. Rock-solid rhythm riffs fall just on the bad side of the rock tracks, sneers are aplenty in virtually every chorus and you can almost smell the sweaty leather wafting off the drummer’s 4/4-heavy backing. It may be simple, it may not be entirely trend-setting but in regards to conviction, Hellbound and Heartless is bold, brawny and terrifically bratty.