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By RYAN MAVITY
So I just got done listening to this record and my mind is still spinning. Just what in the bloody hell is this? The awesomely titled Danza II: The Electric Boogaloo from the even more awesomely titled The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza is either the work of crazed geniuses or wackos in need of some serious counseling. After a little over a half-hour of running time from this album, I’m still not sure I know the answer.
Besides the obvious bizarre image the Tapdance Extravaganza tries—and clearly succeeds—in cultivating, there is the music. The sounds of Danza II are chaotic and violent grind metal that crams as much screaming, guitar noodling and double kick drum as is humanly possibly to fill into a three-minute song. Guitarists Layne Meylain and Brad Thomson are all over the map, alternating between sludgy, grind tempos and Chris Arp-style guitar screeching. Vocalist Jessie Freeland screams the bejesus out of these songs. Freeland’s lyrics are mostly indecipherable and even reading the lyric sheets doesn’t provide much of a clue as to what the record is about. Not to be Captain Obvious here, but I believe that’s the point. TTDTE remains a mystery inside an enigma throughout the record; at times, you’re not sure if it’s a joke or if they are serious.
They are clearly different than your average grind/death metal band, at least until the closing track, “The Louisiana Dive Bar Massacre,” the lyrical content isn’t particularly violent, though the album artwork certainly is. But it’s almost a cartoonish kind of violence, more like black comedy than anything else. Much of the album has a good ole’ boy vibe that belies the band’s Southern roots, a vibe that includes rednecks, pool-playing midgets, whiskey and bar fights, finally culminating in a chainsaw attack (really).
Danza II is an album that requires multiple listens. It’s too bizarre to be completely absorbed in one sitting. However, once you get used to the sheer insanity of it, the album becomes like a musical version of Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez’s Grindhouse, an experience steeped in visceral thrills, cartoonish violence and a rebellious “I-don’t-give-a-fuck-what-you-think” spirit. Danza II is one of those rare albums that is either going to inspire love or hate and nothing in between.
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