Combine an infectious, hook-laden hard rock/punk blend with an obsession with '60s biker movies, and you have the Demonics, whose Demons on Wheels is an invigorating exercise in rowdy, reckless fun. If this California band had been around in the '60s, this release would have been the perfect soundtrack for Dennis Hopper's Easy Rider. Everything on the CD is about the misadventures of bikers, and infectious gems like "Race Against Dawn," "Dustin' the Fuzz," "Dunebuggy Denise," and "Fuel-Injected Suicide Machine" give the impression that the Demonics loved every minute of Easy Rider (which was to biker flicks what Laura was to film noir and Shaft was to blaxploitation movies -- the definitive film of its genre). Anyone who has enjoyed biker films is bound to get a good laugh out of this CDs very amusing liner notes, which find the Demonics telling listeners, "Rev up your bikes and hang on tight. The pigs are on your ass, and you're holding a fat bag of green bud. Ditch the man, and you'll make it back to the clubhouse just in time for the big bash. But if the man nabs you first, then it's Jailsville, baby." Not that the listener has to be a big fan of biker movies to appreciate this CD -- Demons on Wheels will appeal to anyone with a taste for loud, exhilarating, hell-raising rock & roll.
© Alex Henderson /TiVo