THE STABBING JABS
THE STABBING JABS “The Stabbing Jabs”
By Lord Randall
Ah, Cincinnati…Porkopolis herself, home of Skyline Chili, the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers. And now home to, for better or worse, THE STABBING JABS.
“Broken Brain” hits with the fury of BLACK FLAG’s “My War” but done up in a grime-fueled rock and roll incarnation, and I’m not sure how many seconds the guitarist spent getting that tone, but it’s just drenched in motor oil, and continues through the even more punch-drunk “Bad Slime”. Memories of my time in Detroit at Corktown Taven come to mind, five local kickass bands in a 2nd floor shoebox just bringing the beatdowns, and HELMET, STOOGES and a shit-ton of FRANK ZAPPA on the juke downstairs.
After “Drowning Girls”, “F-Bomb” lives up to its name, and I’m getting a real WILDHEARTS and NINE POUND HAMMER vibe here, THE STABBING JABS making it clear they’re not here to make friends or hold back. “Radiation Love” glows with Dutch courage, and the drums, son. You rarely hear a rock drummer going for the gold like this dude, even in the stumble-swagger of “Uptown Blues”, reminiscent of WHO RIDES THE TIGER and their lone banger, “Transylvania Baby”. At nearly 5 minutes, it’s basically the album’s “Run To The Hills” or some shit.
After a passionate run-through of fellow Cincinnati-ites VERBS’ ‘Little In Doubt’, the carnage continues with ‘|Bone & Breast” and its poetic musings of “Black Shoes / Black Leather / Such talk / Well, I never!”. “Little Lamb” conjures an even more raucous THROW RAG, and “Go-Go Wah-Wah” by DENNIS THE MENACE gets some hometown props on the way to closer “You’re A Drag”, which jumps with both boots into noise rock territory ala BRUTAL JUICE.
Now, I’ve dropped an ass-load of other bands as references, but it’s to show the hybrid of punk and unbridled ROCK AND ROLL this record has descended from, and what a fuckin’ killer time THE STABBING JABS have given us.