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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.
®2007 Live-Metal.net
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