The Atomic Bitchwax sound like they wanted to be a prog band but their instinct for riff-driven rock got the better of them. Previous albums showed elements of space rock and old-school prog grooves but Force Field heads straight for beer-fuelled party rock. Fans of experimentalism might find this off-putting, but seven albums in, this New Jersey three-piece have really honed their sound. Maybe it helps that Chris Kosnik and Bob Pantella’s Monster Magnet day jobs sate their appetite for psychedelic hooks leaving them to focus on quickfire fun like a caffeinated Foo Fighters. With titles like Alaskan Thunder Fuck and Tits And Bones, this is a party of restless energy, hard-hitting skin-pounding and sweaty shimmy rock that begs for limb-flinging mosh frivolity with some catchy tunes chucked in. Less is definitely more in this case.
The Atomic Bitchwax - Force Field album review
New Jersey’s prog/psych veterans get their party groove on
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