Artist: Maax
Title: Six Pack Witchcraft
Type: EP
Label: Abyss Records

Sometimes good things come in small packages...okay so a six pack isn’t quite as good as a 24 pack, but at least it’s a bit handier to carry down the park or on the train or to work, if you have such alcoholic tendencies. No, but my main point about small packages is that Six Pack Witchcraft, at only 15 minutes in length, is over and done with by the time you’ve drunk 2/3rds of that pack and sometimes it’s just nice to listen to something to which you don’t have to commit half a day to listening to. There’s no pissing about here; it roars straight in with a crash of thunder and leaves a loud, ground-shaking rumble hovering beneath the surface throughout the five tracks. Tracks are all around three minutes in length, so don’t expect any superfluous guitar wanking or self-indulgent epic structures – each one fires up, launches straight for the jugular and then abruptly ends. Take ‘Fire In The Hole’ it’s a hellish number that well and truly blazes through with a monstrous bassline, filthy guitars and vocals that sound like they’re being spewed from the bowels of Satan. The chorus is a real fist-pounder and has a hell of a swagger to it, while there’s a sudden intruding NWOBHM guitar line.

‘Fuck Yourself;’ blunt title, musically sharp as a scalpel, this is aggressive as fuck and there’s a fuzzy Darkthronian production sound that suits the tone. There are solos to be found here, that kind of swim around in the mix without being too prominent and keep the sound dirty and raw. ‘Six Pack Witchcraft’ takes a more old school metal approach with touches of Venom and Motorhead to be found, and the next track ‘Bastards’ kicks in with a riff reminiscent of Kill Em All era Metallica, racing off with a torrent of thunderous noise and this one has a great rollicking rhythm that is far from dull. This is a real fun EP to listen to, and sure there’ll be more good things from this band in future.

http://www.myspace.com/maaxmetal