500 Ft of Pipe
Dope Deal

THE REVIEW

And here it is: the energy. Rattling.

Detroit has never done me wrong. In fact, time and time again, I find myself returning there. Between Stooges and MC5, as if I've made an eternal pact with these people. Okay, every now and then I drift away a bit, maybe buy some cotton candy, take a ride and hop on other roller coasters but they know I'll come back and we'll get drunk again together. These are bonds of understanding that words cannot express. But with rock'n'roll, they can.

Renewing that pact this time are the 500 Ft. Of Pipe, a trio of volcanic bastards, in the typical 60/70 setup (keyboard, guitar, and drums) but just unbalanced enough to escape the predictable formula. So, any description of these ten tracks is totally useless and forced; just know that "Dope Deal" radiates pure and uncontaminated rock'n'roll energy from every single groove.
Not a single track out of focus: a killer mix of heavy-fuzz tinted with garage punk that at times becomes psychedelic (terrifying the use of keyboards, buzzing and sharp) and then takes off in a frantic assault of acid guitars. If you try to simply call it "stoner rock" these savages will spit in your face. Here it's a delirium that blends the best of the best: a syringe full of fuzz'n'roll with a guaranteed overdose. You know what you're looking for, you know what you'll find. The force infused by the drugged power of Blue Cheer, the vigorous riffs of Deep Purple, the boogie-soul radiations of MC5, the nihilistic, brazen, and drunken fury of the Stooges and a mad chase of keyboard neuroses à la Doors: imagine Ray Manzarek hyper-amped and launched into a dazzling demonstration of talent with Hawkwind trying to keep up. I have never heard a Fender Rhodes or a Hammond organ – distorted, effected, at times unrecognizable – played with such power and sense of groove, at the same time combined with a sensational vocal contribution (a big, shouted and melodic timbre: "with balls", just to be clear) and an ultra-percussive and compact drum, able to add that feverish touch that throws every track into the flames.

A platinum record in my house (that is, if I could, I would buy this album 80,000 times!) and hats off to the 500 Ft. Of Pipe: elegant, badasses and absolutely unstoppable. Because "we" from Detroit are made this way, take it or leave it.

See you around.
Aw-right?