Pentagram
Show'Em How

LA RECENSIONE

Pentagram do doom

Different from Vitus and Trouble. The leader and singer, Bob Liebling, has never hidden his unconditional love for a band, Blue Cheer, which during the golden years of the hippie movement tested the untrained ears of the rockers of the '70s, not yet accustomed to such lava-like flows of feedback and distortion from our own.

After 30 years of activity, the luciferian Liebling (try looking at some of his photos, by the way) decides to produce a sincere tribute to that period and those sounds, momentarily setting aside the sulfurous doom of the recent “Review Your Choices” and “Sub-Basement” and releasing this latest “Show 'Em How” in 2004. In this work, John Hasselvander is no longer part of the band (he had played bass, guitar, and drums in the last two albums) and has been replaced by clearly reliable members, from well-known (in the circuit, that is) doom bands like Penance and Internal Void. The thing that most attracts in our music is that this album sounds damnably old-fashioned yet very modern at the same time, surely thanks to the “bluecherrian” production, an ear-splitting one par excellence, and a blatantly heavy-psycho and acidic aftertaste in the riffs and guitar solos. Noisy and out-of-tune riffs follow one another, often seamlessly, at ease in the song form dictated by the times and Liebling’s singing, who (let's admit it) delivers a superb performance as a top-class rocker.

Because it's not easy to add something more to a music that, with the circularity and beauty of these riffs alone, already says almost everything. And he, yes, precisely he, folks, who could very well be your grandfather, manages every time (and I emphasize every time) with every cry, every scream, every splendid melody as a Sacred Deity Of Amphetamine Rock to make you hard. Always. Wheel Of Fortune, Starlady, Catwalk, City Romance... all truly incredible episodes that show how, after 30 years of activity, one can still outshine other more publicized and overrated musicians on the scene and beyond. Don’t miss it; in fact, go immediately (if you haven’t already) to buy it.

If you are looking for the TRUE Rock 'N’ Roll (no, I’m not talking about Pearl Jam) well, what can I tell you: you’ll definitely find it here. And after listening to it, if you too (I assure you) fall in love with this man and this band, you must absolutely get the deluxe collection released in 2002 titled “First Daze Here (The Vintage Collection)” released by Relapse, which needless to say, is an excellent remedy against Viagra, Coca, and its derivatives.