SYA020 - BRIMSTONE HOWL: 'Uptight!'

Scuzzy blues-ish punk with Cheater Slicks and Gun Club in vein. After the excellent full-lenght on Speed!Nebraska Records and a poker of great singles on several cool US labels (Boom Chick Rds, Obsolete Rds, Speed!Nebraska Rds) these four young lads from Lincoln Nebraska put out their own first european release ever. A couple of blasting bluesly RnR numbers waiting for their upcoming brand new album on Alive Records.

I must say that these Brimstone Howl kids have kicked out a few tunes I really like so far, and this single is their finest hour. "Uptight" is an authentic shake-all-nighter with a nice vintage feel. The tasteful and minimal key-banging on the chorus gives it a real boot in the ass as do the "I'm yelling into a coffee can!" vox. Really really like this, it's wild and makes you wanna dance when you know you can't. Probably one of the best actual garage-punk tunes I've heard in some time. On the flip, "The Gates 2" is more of a Teenage-Shutdown-from-the-Grave rave out with some mean guitars and hard knocks. Almost as good as the A-Side, shows off some Slicks-like downerisms. Defintely their best single yet, I'd recommend this to anyone wanting a taste. I think they have a full length coming out on Alive!, which kinda sucks because I don't think that particular Bomp offshoot has put out a good (non-reissue) record since uh...forever. But maybe the Howl can change that.
(Rich Kroneiss - Terminal Boredom - June 2007)

"So what do you want? Porter, ale, IPA, wheat, lager, roasted chocolate coffee stout?" "Nah, I think I'll just have a beer, thank you. Just today." Because sometimes you just need something simple, something you don't want to listen to Converge. This is a great little record, pure no-fi garage rock that's over and done with before you've even paid for your beer.
(Jon A - LowCut #43 - May/June 2007)

En lo que va de año algunas bandas ya han dejado huella, una de ellas fueron los Forbidden Tigers con su álbum debut para Dead Beat Records, como no podia ser de otra manera y tras saber que algunos de sus componentes procedían de los Brimstone Howl, no he podido por menos que hacerme con este single para el sello italiano Shake Your Ass, con una portada en donde reluce esa fantástica Danelectro por los suelos. Con semejante presentación las expectativas no son nada malas, algo que se confirma al pinchar el diamante los surcos de “Uptight!”, una mezcla de beat a medio camino entre Bo Diddley y los Heatcoats haciendo punk rock como unos auténticos advenedizos totalmente entregados, la cara b no es menos, fantásticas guitarras en ese “The Gates “2”” y una banda enloquecida, locura que trasmiten a quien escucha el disco y que se sitúa entre los singles favoritos de este sello y que ha conseguido poner la ruleta a girar para encontrar sus otros discos.
(Oscarkotj - Kick Out The Jams blogzine)

Rayon garage punk'n'roll sauvage, les Brimstone Howl s'annoncent commede sérieux clients. Déjà un albumet une poignée de singles sous la ceinture cloutée dont le dernier, Uptight!, vient de paraître chez les Italiens Shake Your Ass. Deux titres aussi teigneux et ferrailleurs qu'un alliage Mummies/Black Lips. Mention à la face B et ses choeurs .de peaux-rouges en plein danse du scalp. Ils nous ont aussi envoyé un titre avancé plutôt prometteur de leur prochain album, Guts Of Steel à paraître sur Alive. Un nom à retenir.
(Sylvain Coulon - DIG IT! #40 - June 2007)

Shake Your Ass | Ein fuzziger Sixties-Garagen-Siebenzöller in bester „Back From The Grave"-Tradition aus Lincoln/Nebraska. Der Titelsong kommt zwar mit Orgel und interessanter Gitarrenarbeit daher, hat mir aber noch zu wenig Dampf und rauscht leider ein bisschen belanglos vorbei. Die B-Seite holt das aber wieder raus, denn hier wird ordentlich wild die Garage kaputt gefuzzt. Wunderbar! Freunde der BLACK LIPS, ORIGINAL THREE und Konsorten sollten diese Scheibe definitiv nicht von der Bettkante stoßen. (7)
(Bernd Fischer - OX Fanzine #71 - March 2007)

A far diventare incandescente la temperatura ci pensa un manipolo di sconvolti teenager saltati fuori da un’anonima frasca del Nebraska. I BRIMSTONE HOWL, di cui si è già tessuto le lodi qui sopra, confermano di essere tra i successori più credibili dei Gun Club mai affacciatisi sulla scena. Ci tramortiscono con un uno-due di blues-punk circolare, una specie di roots country putrefatto e iperveloce che esce sovente dai binari per sprofondare nei liquami garage (le chitarre) e voodoo (la voce un po’ Jeffrey Lee, un po’ Screamin’ Jay Hawkins)