Review
The Meatmen
Savage Sagas

Hailing from Lansing, Michigan, the Meatmen have been a punk rock band existing in some capacity for roughly 35 years. They took a break in 1996, but returned in 2008 and, break or no break, the band still boasts a staggering number of singles, EPs, live bootlegs and compilations under their belt. While there has been a few different iterations of the band, they have always been fronted by the indomitable Tesco Vee. His hard-charging spirit and twisted sense of humor has driven the band for the last three decades amidst more than a few different characters playing along with him. And once again, it's what drives their 2014 release, Savage Sagas.

However, it appears that the current lineup of Danny Dirtbag on bass, Swarthy 'Bun Length' Franklin on drums and Hindu Kush on guitar is here to stay. They are, as they say on the record's opening track "Men O' Meat." And on the track "It's Amateur Night at Uncle Bux Bikini Club" they have demonstrate that rare gift that allows people to make 90 seconds of music seem like the most damn important thing on the planet, which is kinda doubly remarkable considering that the song is called "It's Amateur Night at Uncle Bux Bikini Club."

It almost goes without saying but it's probably best not to dwell on the lyrics too much at any time while listening to the record. The thing is filthy all over, but it's also full of songs that make you want to crack a beer open and stomp around. The already-mentioned opener "Men O' Meat" is followed by an absolute sprint of snarl in the form of tracks "Dinosaur," "I'm Gonna Fuck You Up," "Pissed Hot for Weed," and "Death Rig 9000." By the time you get to the amazingly-titled "The Dwarves Are the 2nd Greatest Band in the World," you're already reaching for your second beer and following along with the chorus, which is of course, "The Dwarves are the second greatest band in the world/After the Meatmen." All this happens and remarkably you still haven't reached side B of the record.

The second half is more of the same but not quite as much fun save for the undeniably epic chorus on "Amateur Night" and the pretty wicked closer "Wizards of Oblivion." There are a lot of vulgar things said on this record and there's no two ways about it, but this is also a band that knows its place. They tip their caps toward their fellow punk rockers on "They Just Don't Make 'Em Anymore" mentioning Minor Threat, Youth Brigade, The Pagans, The Minutemen, Necros and a whole record store's worth of other bands. This is also a band who wrote a song called "The Dwarves Are the 2nd Greatest Band in the World." They are very much a punk band and very much one of that ones that should be remembered. Tesco Vee has done his time, from Michigan to Washington DC. He also turned 58 this year and shows no signs of stopping. And for that, the Meatmen should be commended. All that being said, this is still a record that you should never ever, ever, ever play in front of your mother, your sister or your grandmother.