Duh, The Big City...

When discovering Amphetamine Reptile Records (AmRep), it was basically a godsend for someone like me, who is a glutton for applying feedback on just about anything that is deemed possible. Think of it as the equivalent to someone who likes to pour gravy all over everything. That being said, you can imagine that my love for the label and the bands that were featured on it runs particularly deep. So today, I will talk a bit about Duh, The Big City, which was the third and final release by the great band Hammerhead.

I find it somewhat remarkable in a sense that an album like Duh, The Big City could maintain such a noisy and dirty aspect to its sound while incorporating such a catchy melodic twist to it here and there. That being probably the main reason that I look at this release with so much respect, in that it does so many things well that could quite possibly go unnoticed. While it could just as easily stick to absolutely crushing you with nothing but incredibly low distorted bass lines, the album never falls into one rut and most songs change from foot tapping to earth crushingly heavy in a matter of seconds. A truly innovative approach to a sound that commonly is focused on just being heavy and unrelenting as possible. Not to say that Hammerhead doesn't dabble in just that, as songs like "Meandrethal" and "Victoria" prove the band to be as unmercifully heavy as any of their peers on Duh, The Big City. Following the record however the band disbanded, which led to vocalist/bassist Paul Erikson and drummer Jeff Mooridian Jr. to form the band Vaz.

Hammerhead - Earth (I Won't Miss) [MP3]
Hammerhead - Meandrethal [MP3]
Hammerhead - Victoria [MP3]

I am pretty sure you can still get Duh, The Big City directly from AmRep over here. I do suggest doing it if you like what you hear. A great album, from a great band, on a great label.