Review: Wenches ‘Effin’ Gnarly’

Once upon a time, life was pretty simple. Life moved comfortably, and the music industry, and in particular the heavy metal/rock genre, was in its infancy. Bands such as Motörhead, and AC/DC, pathed the way, for just what could be achieved, and truly captured the spirit of the whole heavy rock and roll genre perfectly. Then things evolved. With each new year, things got more complex, darker, deeper, and more technical. The once vibrant simplicity of those bands became overshadowed by the need for bigger and better, and what got left behind was the fun in the music.

Wenches 'Effin' Gnarly'

Since then, a million and one bands have come and gone, but none have truly captured the essence that those originals captured. Until now….

Its twenty twenty-one, and Bloomington, Indiana natives, Wenches, are here to rectify that situation.

These guys are bringing that spirit back, and if you get on board now, you will be at the start of something truly monumental. Right now, Wenches are virtually unknown. There isn’t a great deal of anything about them on the internet, and they themselves, are still in their infancy. If you check Facebook, as of Monday the twenty second of February two thousand and twenty-one, they only have around six hundred followers. That’s how new they are. Made from the remnants of several other bands, none of that really matters, as what they’re doing now, is ALL that’s important.

At the time of writing this review, there aren’t enough good things I can say about this album, it’s truly an essential for any collection, with its heady mix of old school rock, meets punk rock attitude, it stands head and shoulders about pretty much any Motörhead wannabe sounding band from the last few decades. To give an analogy to put this in context, its Motörhead, meets AC/DC, meets Clutch, with a shed load of whiskey, and a garage full of beaten-up instruments. This IS heavy rock, at its best. Dirty, sleazy, and incredibly heavy, it’s time for a new saviour, and that my friends, is Wenches.

Right from album opener, Mama, Wake Up, and the opening bars, this mix of balls out, hard rocking mayhem, will have you moving, and if it doesn’t, you’re beyond dead. It’s hard, fast, and pounding, yet so fun and infectious. It has all the best ingredients, screechy vocal, booming drums, buckets of bass, and with those driving guitars, it’s guaranteed to make you move. This is absolutely everything that good time heavy rock should be. Its beer chugging, head banging, foot stomping craziness, and boy does it absolutely kick ass.

Its beer chugging, head banging, foot stomping craziness, and boy does it absolutely kick ass…

Truck Stop Tank Top, the following track, shows no sign of letting up. This fast-paced nugget of pure gold, has punk rock vibrancy in overload. Strap yourself in, this ride is supersonic. Track three, Bad Man, has been released ahead of the album, so has been doing the rounds for a short while, and boy it’s a fantastic advert for the band. Its gritty Motörhead feel is bombastic, and full of bile. The only thing missing is that gravelly Lemmy vocal, but the dirty punk rock vocal more than makes up for it. It’s fast, heavy, and sleazy as hell.

What’s Next to The Moon changes things up, but only ever so slightly. This is where that early AC/DC vibe really kicks in. Its balls to the wall, unashamed rock and roll, pure brilliance. My Lady’s On Fire continues this dirty rock and roll masterpiece. It’s heavy, upbeat, and absolutely monstrous. I don’t know if My Lady’s On Fire, but this band sure are!

Break Up To Make Up and Six To Midnight Man continue pounding this path, and as I listen, I ponder to myself about the fact that this is everything rock and roll should be. No fancy electronics, ambient noises, or deep meanings. Let’s face it, all we really want is dirty grooves, to get drunk to.

Slip Slidin’ is another fast paced, driving monster. It’s Herman Munster, with a case of whiskey, a guitar, and amps up to eleven. It’s a throat punch from Mike Tyson, while being dragged by your feet, attached to the back of a dodge charger. As closer 100,000 Years drops in, to solidify its legitimacy as one of the most exciting things of twenty twenty-one so far, so just sit back and let it flow, its the only thing you can do.

The whole affair is so unashamedly fun, and it’s an absolute joy to see this band inject some life, and passion, in to an industry that seems to be mostly trying too hard these days.  Its effortlessly fun, and as abrasive as anything. Do yourselves a favour, source out Wenches, however you can. You won’t be disappointed.

Label: Master Kontrol Audio | Small Hand Factory
Band Links: Official | Facebook

Scribed by: Lee Beamish