Go USA!

Album Review

An unholy fusion of punk energy and hard rock riffage, Electric Eel Shock deliver a frontal assault on ineffectual music in the manner of their fellow countrymen Guitar Wolf and Teengenerate. But while those bands were noted for their sheer cranked-to-ten mania, Electric Eel Shock take the approach of dialing down the attack a few notches in favor of a more coherent sound. So as a result, Electric Eel Shock have something more closely resembling songs, and their debut album (retitled Go USA! for release in the United States after surfacing in the U.K. in 2004 as Go Europe!) celebrates the purifying influences of rock & roll while delivering tunes that might actually convince the great unwashed if they were ever to hear them. "Rock 'n' Roll Can Rescue the World" is a thick, industrial-strength riff that communicates the message of a true believer, "Japanese Meets Chinese in USA" is a glorious sonic monster movie that lopes across the American landscape, "Suicide Rock 'n' Roll" sounds like a reason to live to these ears, and while "S.O.S." opens with the words "I'm sorry I can't speak English well," Akihito Morimoto's buzzy guitars, Kazuto Maekawa's throbbing bass, and Tomoharu Ito's crashing percussion communicate in the universal language of kicking ass. Big fun, and perhaps the best Japanese import since Battle Royale.