Red Hot Rebellion

Red Hot Rebellion are a band that was destined to be. Formed as the result of a want ad placed on Craigslist, they are now part of the music scene in Dayton, Ohio that has been strong for years now. As they say in their bio, they were “formed with a singular goal: to rebel against the watered-down excuse for Rock of the status quo.”

From the first cut off the album, “Wait And See,” to the last, “Two Fisting,” this three-piece band pumps out a sound loud enough to grab your attention and kick you in the ass at the same time. Lyrically punk, but musically a blend of classic rock and guitar-driven blues, they crank out what they lovingly refer to as “the soundtrack to a bar fight.”

The aforementioned lead-in song “Wait And See” tells the story that everyone with a job can relate to. An overbearing boss in a seemingly nowhere job and the building frustrations that end with the refrain, “If you think I won’t explode/ Just wait and see.” Another classic line, “It’s better to die behind a guitar, than die behind a gun,” from the song “For The Benefit Of Evil” proves their love for rock and roll, the guitar in this song is what old school classic rock is all about.

I think what impresses me most about the band’s lyrics is that they aren’t afraid to say what you wish you had the balls to: from the song “Devil’s Rope” you get “My back is sore from you riding on it every day.” Who hasn’t wanted to say that at least once in their lives?

Tunes like “Wild One,” “Cooking With Gas,” and “Two Fisting” stay true to the punk/classic rock feel and flat out rock. The entire album is a rock and roll feast, with every emotion from breakups to I-hate-my-boss, my-job-tinged-with-fury, and in-your-face-onslaught.

I was also impressed with the package deal they are marketing where they offer the cd\red vinyl LP\T-shirt\Comic book. The comic, written by bassist Jim Tramontana and artwork done by Peter Wonsowski works quite well and puts each song on the album into a common story line.

8.0 / 10 — Scott Wilkinson