Boulder Ravage and Savage

Boulder 'Ravage and Savage' (Tee Pee, 2000)

Boulder hailed from Aurora, Ohio (not Colorado, which has unfortunately been in the news over the last couple of days for all the wrong reasons). Boulder were recommended to me by Jamie who enthused about them around about the same time he was raving about Rammer.

I picked this up in Generation Records but I can't remember which visit. I think there may be a theme here of me only buying records in the A-D sections because I am always either drunk or hungover and thus do not have the patience to get through the full alphabet. I did buy an Unearthly Trance record on one visit though so I've just disproved my own reasoning. Maybe I started at Y that day? I'm also making it sound like I pop down to Thompson Street every weekend like some louche New York bohemian, which although I wish it were the case is far from the truth.

Boulder play a sloppy, punk interpretation of Heavy Metal. They get mentioned in the same breath as NWOBHM quite often, but they are not of the Maiden school, this is pure Motorhead and Neat Records territory although not quite as good.

'Ravage and Savage' sounds very American and the songs have a real Southern rock boogie feel to them. If the songs were just a little slower and tuned down many could appear on an Earthride LP. Lyrically and musically shades of Turbonegro mix freely with hints of Entombed, if the once majestic Swedish gods had taken there Death 'n' Roll down an even less produced and unprofessional path. It's definitely true that only Scandinavian bands can really pull off this type of Bourbon soaked groove as well as their US counterparts.

If you saw Boulder at a hardcore or Doom all dayer they would break up the monotony and bring a welcome light heartedness to events. They would also deliver great entertainment after a few Budvars in your local 'Rock and Whiskey' bar, you know the ones where the barmen have neck tattoos and the barmaids try to channel the spirit of Betty Paige? However, this record just doesn't cut it; it's metal for non metal heads, it's almost like Boulder are trying to be ironic when they should have tried to master song writing instead of being smart arses.

Peace