AUGUST 2008 ONLINE EDITORIALS

The Bronz - EP

By Nathan Harper

Few things pair up better than hedonism and rock’n’roll – Ian Dury knew it, so did Spinal Tap, and Denver’s The Bronz are believers too. A bar band with aspirations for a bigger piece of the dream, The Bronz specialize in low-end heavy, thick hard-rock that crunches as it moves deliberately from start to end, their pace measured but never plodding.

If the obvious influence, The Melvins were the masters of heavy rock with restraint, then The Bronz are proud purveyors of the same ideals, but with a little more classic rock mixed in for a sound that’s bluesier without sacrificing heaviness. The vocals wail, and though they could stand to be beefier, they succeed at channeling the kind of bar where someone buys you a beer after breaking a pool-cue over your head – the band is loud and angry, but not violent – they’re just plain heavy.

If anything, The Bronz could stand to have more fun on their EP - play a little looser, hang out longer in the pocket as the groove evolves around them - it’s almost like they play it too tight. Except, of course, on their amazingly straight forward anthem, “Sex, Drugs & Rock&Roll,” which The Bronz treat with the weighty seriousness such a subject deserves. It’s the kind of track you sing along with in your car, pumping your fist towards the windshield while loudly bellowing. And while more of that spirit would be welcome in all the songs, the EP succeeds at getting the band established with what they do best.