THE HUMPERS Live forever or die trying

THE HUMPERS Live forever or die trying 1996 Epitath 320 kbps

Wake up & lose / Soul surgeon / Sarcasmatron / Fast fucked & furious / Beyond belief / Migraine shack / Don't wanna be your pal / Losers club / Space station love / World of hurt / Protex blue / Drunk tank / 13 forever / Apocalypse girl / You drive me bats / Rockets & the retards / Anarchy juice .

Produced by Sally Browder .

The Humpers : Scott "Deluxe" Drake : vocals / Billy Burks : guitar & vocals / Mitch Cartwright : bass & vocals / Jimi Silveroll : drums & vocals / Mark "Anarchy" Lee : guitar & vocals .

Long Beach, CA's Humpers were formed by Scott "Deluxe" Drake and Jeff Fieldhouse, guitarists for the Suicide Kings. Drake gave up the guitar for the group and concentrated on screaming lead vocals. The Humpers were first revered not in the group's native California but, oddly, in Yugoslavia, where its first and extremely rare LP "My Machine" was released.

Whereas the Suicide Kings' sound borrowed heavily from the 1970s (Heartbreakers, Rolling Stones, New York Dolls, Ramones), the Humpers punked the mix up a bit with a more direct and sonic edge reminiscent of Cleveland groups the Dead Boys and the Pagans.

Bassist Jaybird Blake left the group after recording half of the tracks for 1994's Journey to the Center of Your Wallet, and was more than capably replaced by Mitch Cartwright. Guitarist Jeff Fieldhouse also left the group, leaving sole guitar duties to Billy Burks. After two LPs for indie Sympathy for the Record Industry, the Humpers were signed to Caroline.

The Humpers dispense gritty, unrelenting rock & roll on their 1996 Epitaph release, Live Forever or Die Trying. The opener, "Wake Up and Lose," sets the tone for their third album, layering bleakly sarcastic lyrics over cocky, yet glowering rock, with a coiled flare-up of guitar solo at its center. Scott "Deluxe" Drake's vocals on songs like "Soul Surgeon" have an urban rasp, carrying subways, street fights, and the smoky air that gusts from rock clubs as the crowds push out after last call. The guitar builds tough, simple chords to a wailing, frantic solo over an almost dancy beat that pulses with raw energy. "Fast, Fucked, & Furious" coaxes the listener, along with a lowdown-bopping bassline and a momentum as brisk as the song's title. Like many songs on the album, the lyrics are more bellowed than sung, with multiple bandmembers joining to create the impression of a singalong prompted by drunken camaraderie. One can imagine them with their arms around each other, singing as they stumble down the trash-strewn boulevards as the streetlights reflect off oil-slicked puddles. Images of urban detritus litter the album, from the graffiti-caked men's room in the liner notes (complete with "Wake up and Die" inside the urinal) to the music's menacing late-night drag-race mood. "Space Station Love" — one of seven re-recordings of previously released songs on the album — epitomizes this sound. It's like a car wreck, with the vocals being adrenaline pushing listeners to collision, the howling guitar solos being the crumpling metal, and the sludgy bassline and rhythm guitar acting as the congealing blood. While they always pay tribute to their guitar forebears, from Chuck Berry to Johnny Thunders, the band's sound is fullest when further celebrating rock's roots by adding piano on "Loser's Club" and "Anarchy Juice." The energy is amped up on these songs, which stand out on an album that often relies on the same vocal and guitar mannerisms throughout. It may be true that the Humpers have their sound down and don't vary much in what they deliver, but they sure deliver rock & roll. -All Music-