Arts & Entertainment

Japan's 'Wolf' is real rock

By Jason Gagnon
The Daily Cougar

Since the music industry and their wretched magazines have decided the public is bored with rap-rock and plastic pop stars, theyive decided to give the spotlight back to rock ini roll. Itis a good choice, except they showcase some pretty weak and generic acts. So, they decided to look across the pond to Sweden and the second wave of rock bands from there. All pale in comparison to their forefathers: Backyard Babies, the Hellacopters and, of course, Turbonegro. They should have looked to Japan instead.

While the nation may not currently have the number of punk-influenced rock ini roll bands that it used to, it still has Guitar Wolf. Imagine Link Wray, the Ramones and Johnny Thunders in a rumble and youive got a good idea of the bandis sound.

The Tokyo trio, which is known as Guitar, Bass and Drum Wolf, began in the late 1980s playing incredibly loud, fast and intense rock music that certainly beats the crap out of anything America has offered up in years. In fact, on the cover of the groupis 1999 magnum opus Jet Generation, a warning label claims the album is the loudest ever recorded and that stereo damage might result from its play.

The most interesting fact about the album is that it was recorded on a four-track and a Walkman. The bandis tenth album, UFO Romantics, has just been released in America and continues the trend of massive sonic assaults on fans.

Yet, as evidenced recently by the Strokes and White Stripes, the aesthetics of a band can add to their appeal. Ignoring trends for black and denim clothing, the group looks a lot like a biker gang with their slicked pompadours, dark shades and leather jackets and pants.

Having already pummeled other rock ini roll bands with their music and style, what else could Guitar Wolf do to distance itself from the pack? How about starring in a couple of horror movies? 

The movie Wild Zero finds the band screaming into microphones that shoot flames, killing zombies brought on by UFOs and punishing a greedy and wicked promoter that feels rock ini roll is dead in a fun, gory way. Itis silly and is pretty much a cross between Dawn of the Dead and Rock ini Roll High School. 

Even though the world will be inundated in the months ahead with mediocre rock bands, Guitar Wolf will always remind us what real rock ini roll is.

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