BAND: ELECTRIC EEL SHOCK
ALBUM: TRANSWORLD ULTRA SHOCK
DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION: www.japanfiles.com
RELEASED IN USA: October 1, 2007 – digital format
DURATION: 40:47
OFFICIAL WEBSITE | MySpace Site
- I Can’t Hear You
- Big Mistake
- Dice De Try
- Joe
- Joe II
- Kill the Weekend
- War
- Transamerica Ultra Rock
- Limousine
- Baby
- All My Music
- Lovin You
As a young lad, before surfing or just loungin’ at home, I would always amp myself up with music from The Cult, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction, Motorhead, Guns and Roses, Van Halen, Aerosmith and classics from Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.
I would get stoked by listening over and over again to the guitar riffs and hard hitting sound of these bands and nearly 15 years later, I have this grin on my face because I have discovered a Japanese band called ELECTRIC EEL SHOCK for the first time and have listened to their album “TRANSWORLD ULTRA ROCK”.
The band which consists of Morimoto Aki (guitar and vocals), Maekawa Kazuto (bass) and Ito Tomoharu (drums) is a band from Japan that have been building a fanbase in the US and Europe since 1999 by showcasing their rock music which combines genres such as classical rock, punk and heavy metal.
Because of their touring and networking throughout Europe, the band met with Grammy nominated producer Attie Bauw (Judas Priest, Scorpions) and in 2005, released their critically acclaimed album “Beat Me”.
Two years later, the group has a new album released titled “TRANSWORLD ULTRA ROCK”.
When I first listened to “TRANSWORLD ULTRA ROCK”, I was blown away. It’s been awhile since I enjoyed an album this immensely, listening to it dozens of times and even calling up the digital distributor for the band, japanfiles.com and telling them how I love the album and how I wanted to see this band perform live.
“ELECTRIC EEL SHOCK” embodies of what I call fuckin’ kick ass rock music that I love. Music that some people may call “classic rock” but nevertheless, rock music made even more interesting because this band is from Japan and not from the US or Europe and their appreciation for the bands that I grew up listening to.
The first three songs are enough to put you into music bliss with “I Can’t Hear You” (an excellent opening song), “Big Mistake”, “Dice de Try” are examples of songs that feature awesome guitar riffs.
“Dice de Try” has a Jane’s Addiction guitar riff similar to “STOP” and a song that utilizes a Red Hot Chili Peppers “I Cry” (Mother’s Milk) and even a Motorhead style and then a transition to a Black Sabbath or Zeppelin’ style of segment and then a climactic return to the guitar riff. Awesome!
Even the cover of the classic Minnie Ripperton song “Loving You (Is Easy Because Your Beautiful)” is an adrenalin charged track that incorporates a synergy and excitement along the same vein of the album track song “TRANSWORLD ULTRA ROCK” that you can’t laugh but rock at the same time.
All in all, I enjoyed every song on this album. Each song has something different, something fresh and overall provides a good balance to the whole album.
Although I came late and have just jumped on the ELECTRIC EEL SHOCK bandwagon, I really enjoy the music from this band.
I have read how their live performances are awesome and have read about the drummer’s use of four drum sticks and that he even plays naked. Insane!
I’ve listened to a lot of rock bands from Japan and because ELECTRIC EEL SHOCK is passionate about the classic rock music that I grew up listening to, I may be a bit biased towards the band because of that. But still, the overall quality and presentation of their music on the album is solid.
How they take classic rock from the 60’s and 70’s and fuse that with that classic 90’s rock sound into the mix, is just too awesome. The music is well-done and well-balanced, the humor they interject on some songs are hilarious and yet fuckin’ cool at the same time!
ELECTRIC EEL SHOCK’s “TRANSWORLD ULTRA ROCK” is highly recommended!