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By GREG MAKI
Cement Shoes Records is building quite the varied stable of artists. The roster includes industrial/goth rock act Godhead, Latin metallers Ill Niño, Eastern-flavored rockers Ra and the latest addition, Revolution Mother.
The face of Revolution Mother is pro skater Mike Vallely. He previously fronted a punk/hardcore outfit called Mike V. & the Rats, so most probably will have a preconceived notion as to his new band’s sound. There certainly is a strong hardcore/punk rock aesthetic running through Glory Bound, the band’s full-length debut (following the 2006 EP Enjoy the Ride). But there’s more to it than that. The heart of the sound is guitarist Jason Hampton, who has a darker, thicker tone than a typical punk or hardcore axeman. The band often slows down the tempo, giving Hampton’s grooves room to breathe. Just in case you haven’t figured out where a large part of their influences lie, they cover Black Sabbath’s “Hole in the Sky.” A huge, Sabbath-like riff powers “Burning from Inside,” while the opener, “Come On,” recalls early Guns N’ Roses and “The Real Deal” has an almost AC/DC feel.
Vallely’s shouted vocals are not particularly memorable, but they get the job done. A band like this is not out to change the face of music. They just want to blow off some steam, challenge authority a little and rock. Revolution Mother does it all with enough variety and skill to appeal to a wider audience than the skater set following Vallely.
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