Posted: Wednesday 7th November 2007

Reviewed by Pritesh Peshavaria

Crack open the lube as Gay For Johnny Depp have made an album!

They are a Spazzcore metal band formed in New York and known for the vulgar, homoerotic lyrical content of their songs which are often concerned with the band's obsession over the actor Johnny Depp; the band being Marty Leopard on vocals, Sid Jagger on guitar, Fabrizio Coxboi on Bass and JJ Samanen on drums.

Formed from ex-members of post-hardcore bands Garrison and Instruction in 2004, Gay for Johnny Depp released their first recording, the Erotically Charged Dance Songs for the Desperate ep in July 2004 to serious critical acclaim garnering comparisons to fellow hardcore bands The Blood Brothers and The Locust.

They released their second ep Blood: The Natural Lubricant (An Apocalyptic Adventure Beyond Sodom and Gomorrah) on September 2005 supported by a small tour of the UK including Donnington 2006.

So, to the speedway we are flung in a calamitous pink chassis with wheels spinning out erratically on opener Cumpassion, tumbling drums over cymbals smash into trembling basslines bleeding fluid cords change between hard sleet and Gothic lull. Marty Leopard’s prominent falsetto screech supplicates Sparks freestyling with Rage Against The Machine. The lyrics may be sordid but remain hard to depict.

It’s the dramatic art rock groom of the thrashing metal husband which impassions this civil service to ejaculation employing an obtrusive, racy dishabille from the boudoir of J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr) on the relatively amenable Belief In God Is So Adorable; and the woozy stumble of To The Alchoholics: Life IS Depressing with an almost memorable vocal melody and skewey guitarage.

Memorable also is the plucky Delirium Approaches (Slut Dust), even though it amounts to little more than guitars, drums, a banshee and a bottle of JD in a blender with the odd yet delightfully melodic splashback, it makes for the perfect cocktail.

Lights Out! is an angry, punk metal glam slam with a willowing serenade while I Hate Our Freedom (Fuck You, Gladys, I'm On Vacation) has Leopard shrieking ‘we’re not happy’ over a funky psycho bassline.

Gay For Johnny Depp are colourful, witty and intelligent conjoining an unrivalled art rock thrash metal hybrid that curiously works, a flamboyant kiss of life into an otherwise stale, static genre.