At a recent Coliseum show, vocalist/guitarist Ryan Patterson made mention that Glenn Danzig was a big influence and source of inspiration for him for years. On Not of This World both Coliseum and Doomriders pay tribute to that man. Although short by most standards, this split EP packs enough of a wallop that it shames a majority of the full-lengths that have come out lately.
Coliseum kick off Not of This World with a roaring rendition of Danzig's 'Am I Demon.' Doing justice to the song with their Black Flag meets Motorhead bulldozing sound, Coliseum shirks the normal covers from Glenn Danzig's material by reinterpreting a song from the Danzig repertoire instead of a song from the more revered Misfits or Samhain canon. They follow this blazing opening track with two quick originals. 'American Machine' is a venomous song that lashes out against the practice and perpetuation of the United States' version of capitalism and the choices that an individual makes in regards to that economic ideology. The music for the song effectively matches the hurled lyrical invective. The other original, 'Ride on Death Riders,' is a great song that effectively intimates the visual imagery that Patterson has created for the band on their earlier releases. If ever a band created a theme song for themselves, this might be a shining example for just that. Ultimately both of these songs seem to be about the choices that individuals can make.
Doomriders has the second half the record well in hand as they start their set with a noisy, righteous racket that continues the skate rock smashed into Thin Lizzy meets heavy duty elements heard on their full-length Black Thunder. The Misfits influenced 'horror' lyrics are particularly evident as Doomriders really throws down the gauntlet for pretenders to that crown, quite possibly because they are so tongue in cheek. They close the EP with a great bookend cover of "Possession." They too go with a Danzig song instead of the more obvious Misfits or Samhain one. Vocally it is closer to the original version than the way that Coliseum handles their cover, but it still maintains the vocal feel that Doomriders normally maintains.
A worthwhile EP, Not of This World has an extremely fun vibe to it. It would be more fitting as a 7' (which is due out on Auxiliary Records sometime in the near future), but here in the CD format anyone can get it instead of just us pretentious vinyl fiends. Anyone who digs either of these two bands will enjoy this record immensely.
