Bars - Introducing

As each post-hardcore band with sleeved tattoos and jet-black bangs races to out-math the competition and amaze the listener with acrobatic feats both mental and physical, Bars is sneaking in the back door with a deadly weapon: Pure simplicity. Their Equal Vision debut, Introducing…, is as straight a mix of pop-free punk and no-strings-attached metal as anyone has tried in ages, and they’ve nailed it. Introducing… is the album Guns n’ Roses might have made if they met eight years earlier and listened to too much Motorhead. It’s hard to ignore the presence of their influences (their name is reportedly a reference to the Black Flag logo), but their simplistic approach and relentless energy make this feel like a breath of fresh mountain air sucked in through a sophomore dorm room window. Rather than dazzle you with varied introductions and reverse-grain breakdowns, Bars prefers to open with a meaty riff and ride it like a bronco for the next three minutes. Repeat that ten times and you have an idea of what you’re dealing with on Introducing…. Bars’ approach is so consistent that it’s hard to point out a standout track. “Up To My Neck” features a memorably staccato chorus that comes as close to a “hook” as they’ll allow themselves, and the closer, “This is It,” opens with a blazing riff that whisks you back to the Cult’s heyday. One does fall short of the rest, however, as the deep cut “Too Far Down” is a little too measured for its own good. The rest of the album thrives on its consistently high output of punk-metal horsepower. In the end, the nonstop energy gives off a very positive vibe. This is the kind of shit I imagine Andrew W.K. blasts to get himself amped up, but don’t get me wrong, they’re no angels. The opening line to “Up To My Neck” pretty much says it all: “Two packs and a bottle of Jack.” Amen, Bars…amen. [www.thebarsrock.com]