Pink Pussycats From Hell are a band. They are a good band. They are a good band that have managed to consume my life and deafen half of the neighbourhood with their lovely sounds. I like them.
It is fairly obvious from the outset that they aren’t a band that you should take seriously. For one, the band consists of a rabbit and what I can only describe as a convict (apparently called The Hunter). Then every single song, bar the cover of Money (That’s What I Want), is titled by a play on words to all begin with “Hell…”. Then there is the name, which could easily be that of an awful 80’s glam rock/hair metal group, but definitely gets you intrigued. The biggest surprise though is that none of the songs are actually about anything moderately hellish, with the exception of Hell Dorado and some aggressive suggestives in Hellzeimer (come on, these titles alone are selling this album for you!)
The music itself is, for the most part, a rather raw, stripped down explosion of classic punk and blues rock. The lone guitar delves out some filthy tones, and with the occasional layers and additional instruments, the sound remains interesting and fresh enough to thoroughly enjoy throughout. The riffs are filled with great hooks, and the playing is kept far from precise adding to the punk edge of the sound. The vocals add plenty of aggression to the music, with its character similar to that of early Turbonegro.
I found Hell-P very difficult to listen to at low volume. Opening song, Hello, starts off with a riff that drags you straight into the riot. Hellga is the first song on the album to really get you going, which I must add, contains a part very closely resembling a demo that I whipped together back in August. Nonetheless, this song absolutely kicks, from the lyrics to the awesome lead guitar segments. It is what I can only describe as an upbeat nightmare. Hell Dorado is pretty much the album epic here, taking things a little more Western/Mariachi styley, and mixing things up a bit more in terms of structure and approach. This is followed by the catchy cunt, Hell Is Regina, the song that will play in your head over and over forcing you back to listening to Hell-P all over again.
As mentioned, Money (That’s What I Want) is covered here, and closes the album in classic style. The cover doesn’t sound out of place in the slightest, the only thing I would say about it is that the ending of the song is perfect for a live performance, but is left slightly underwhelming in the studio. Which is the only area that this album suffers in, it would benefit greatly from the live atmosphere and a room contaminated with the live performance. That said, Hell-P is far from underwhelming in itself.
It is extremely difficult not to love Pink Pussycats From Hell, their music will fuck you in the face and then cuddle you while you sleep. Listening to Hell-P will make you want to fly out just to experience them live. It is difficult to say a bad word about this band; of course if you are an audiophile who only likes music that is clean cut, of the highest production values and treats you with care, then this experience will probably scar you. But I highly doubt that you would even be reading this if you were one of those people (and personally, I think those people do deserve a scar or two like this.)
Two words; Get it.
Rating: 11.34/10
Jake Hancke – 15/02/2017
Hell-P is available to buy now from BandCamp via the band or Raging Planet.
You can find more on Pink Pussycats From Hell on their Website or Facebook page.
The Cauteriser 