Like a talented assassin, Mazinga waste no time on their
Open the Blast Doors EP -- they swoop in, unleash a wall of aural devastation, and then hit the road before you know just what slapped you upside your head. As on Mazinga's previous releases, these songs are clearly informed by old-school punk rock, but with plenty of hard rock guitar muscle to go along with the fast/loud sonic pummeling. Guitarist Chris "Box" Taylor has learned the lessons of his Michigan forebears in
the MC5 and
the Stooges, displaying the ideal proportions of flash and velocity, while bassist Big Tony and drummer Al King give these songs a solid, powerful framework that allows them to dish out just as much mayhem as they absorb. Marc McFinn is a first-rate howler who can more than keep up with one of the Midwest's more powerful rock machines, and while in the hands of many groups Mazinga's lyrical mélange of comics, sci-fi, and cultural debris might sound like a joke, the way these guys play it their songs work like a classic Jack Kirby comic up against a world full of Little Lulus. Five songs, 14 minutes, pure beef, no filler -- if you miss the days when real rock & roll bands could kick you in the ears and make you love it, then you owe it to yourself to check out
Open the Blast Doors and let Mazinga take you for a ride. ~ Mark Deming