BALLBREAKER
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BALLBREAKER

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"Ballbreaker - "Hangman's Tree""

Sleazeroxx.com reviews "Hangman's Tree"
Reviewed by: Skid ( Canada )

Ballbreaker - "Hangman's Tree"



Review:
Albums like Hangman's Tree are the exact reason I started this website. Ballbreaker prove once again that attitude and delivery play as big a part in creating a flawless sleaze album as musicianship and flash. Bands like this exist for the live experience, and any albums they may release come across almost as an after thought. You know damn well an album like this will never sell in huge quantities - this was even true in the 80s when hard rock was king - the music is just too raw, unpolished and unrelenting for the casual listener. So knowing that this type of music won't make a musician rich, you have to assume that any band that pursues sleaze metal does it for the pure love of the music...the love of taking kick-ass rock to every shithole bar around the globe. Ballbreaker is one of these bands.
Clocking in at just over 30 minutes, Ballbreaker's sophomore album delivers a short but effective shot to the gut. Some people might think a half hour is too short for an album these days, but I say fuck that. It may be too short if there was some filler added, but Hangman's Tree contains zero filler...nada, zilch.
The intro to "Two Pump Chump" start things off on the right foot, and then the blazing guitar riff, whiskey-soaked vocals and steady bass pattern energize this song about a guy with a lack of "endurance". The woman asking "what, that's it?" and then beginning giggle is the perfect addition to a killer track. "Hangman' Tree" ventures into Dirty Looks territory, and I was even waiting to hear the lyrics "Senor Cuervo take me home". "Snakebite Blues" manages to capture the energy of AC/DC's "Rocker", while "When The Hammer Comes Down" is the type of song that made the dark side of 80s rock so great. The Four Horsemen's Frank C. Starr is likely drinking in heaven wishing he could have recorded "Little Misunderstood", a song that would have fit like a glove on any Horsemen classic. Throw in a cover of the Beastie Boys' infamous party anthem "Fight For Your Right To Party" and you have the perfect release to spin while getting shit-faced.
I originally heard Ballbreaker on www.mp3.com (before it turned to shit) several years ago. Anyone familiar with the old site knows that it primarily focused on independent artists, many of which never released anything more than a demo. So when I was unable to find any information about Ballbreaker I just dismissed them as a killer band that faded away. To my surprise Ballbreaker hadn't faded away, and in fact was still clawing away in the gutters of rock & roll - sometimes there is justice in the world of rock. There really isn't much more to say here, except that Hangman's Tree is a must own album for fans of sleaze. The album can be ordered...ummm I mean the album MUST be ordered at www.ballbreaker.net.

Reviewed by Skid for Sleaze Roxx, June 2005
- Sleazeroxx.com


"BALLBREAKER 'Ballbreaker'"

Hot New AOR Reviews
By Nicky Baldrian - www.strutterzine.com

BALLBREAKER 'Ballbreaker' (INDEPENDENT)

AC/DC is not coming out of Australia, but they hail from New York! The new AC/DC clone is called BALLBREAKER and they sent me a CDR of their upcoming debut CD. Sure, musically this is your typical pure Hard Rock and besides AC/DC other simlar sounding bands are definitely acts like BRITNY FOX, BULLET BOYS, KROKUS, KINGS OF THE SUN…

Though this BALLBREAKER is not a pure AC/DC clone, because a couple songs sound more melodic than their Australian friends. I am talking about the songs "Give me a reason" and "Put out". These are prime-time 80s uptempo melodic rockers like WHITE LION meets DOKKEN. It would be interesting to see the band making more tunes a la "Give me a reason" for a future CD. Anyway, if you like the good-old Hard Rock of bands like BRITNY FOX, AC/DC, KROKUS… then do check out this BALLBREAKER at: HTTP://WWW.BALLBREAKER.NET and e-mail them at: edspock@hotmail.com

Rating: 7,5/10
- www.strutterzine.com


Discography

02/2000 - Ballbreaker "Ballbreaker"
10/2004 - "Voltage Overload: A Tribute To AC/DC"
05/2005 - Ballbreaker : "Hangmans Tree"
11/2006 - Perris Records Sampler C.D.
03/2007 - Perris Records Network C.D.

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Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

Ballbreakers history dates back to the summer of 1995, when five players, from various musical backgrounds, decided to band together to create what has now become known as one of the top "tributes to the music of" AC/DC around today, as well as purveyors of the hard rock sound through their driving original music. The ball was set in motion one summer evening when, through a mutual friend, Jerry met Steve. Both having been in various bands that regularly played the area circuit, the conversations soon turned to the different projects that had been involved with, the musicians that they each have known as well as their influences and music in general. After about a month or so they decided that it was about time to get together and see if something would click. So the call went out to some other musicians that they knew were available. At this point Eddie was writing with Steve and recording some demos (Some of these songs can be found Ballbreakers first all original c.d. "Ballbreaker 1" ) when he got the call. Mark had been playing with Jerry for some time with multiple bands, and had just been involved in a project called Bon Voyage with him. (This project also included Todd at that time.) With Eddie and Mark in place, one more element was needed, so Jeff Gillette was called in on the drums. With the cast now set, it was time to get to work. The band began to learn songs but had no real direction to take the group into, that is until they learned AC/DC classic "You Shook Me All Night Long." They soon realized they had an uncanny likeness to the sound of AC/DC, right down to Eddies raspy, whiskey soaked replication of the voice of their front man Brian Johnson. It was this night that BALLBREAKER was truly born. Soon after, BALLBREAKER , walked into a small bar in Caledonia, NY for an open jam night with a set of AC/DC classics and took the bar by storm. The people who were there to witness that evening began to tell their friends of what they saw that night and word soon spread. With all the positive response from BALLBREAKERS trial run, they soon were getting calls for shows with their very first full fledged appearance supporting THE GOOD RATS. They were now taking the show on the road, making a name for themselves in Rochester and it's surrounding areas. With the addition of Paul Marlzoff on drums, they decided it was time to drive the bands playing field out farther and begin to hit more of NY. BALLBREAKER spent the next couple of years taking it on the road and spreading their name across the Empire State. Todd Tracy now entered the BALLBREAKER fold and the band shifted gears once again. Their ultimate lineup was in place and a new age in the bands history was dawning. With a new found energy the band took a whole new stage show to the club scene. One LA music producer once called BALLBREAKER possibly "the greatest bar band in the country" and this could be evidenced during their support of national acts such as LOVERBOY, NAZARETH, and QUIET RIOT. As they continued to perform their tribute to the music of AC/DC to sold out clubs, concerts, and fairs across the state they felt that the time was ripe to release an all original c.d. The year 2000 was a landmark year for BALLBREAKER, in that it saw the release of the classic, independently released disc "Ballbreaker 1" that features such favorites as "Inside Out," "Whiskey, Women, & Rock," and "Give Me A Reason." The disc found quick acceptance from fans and press alike. This new c.d. gained them exposure in magazines and on radio stations throughout the United States, Italy, France, Denmark, The Netherlands, and Germany. The first track off the disc, "Inside Out," was also used in ads for the NFLs, BUFFALO BILLS during their 2001/2002 season. 2003 saw them as a featured artist on a world-wide release called "Voltage Overload," on Sharkbite Records. This was an AC/DC tribute disc with 10 of the worlds top AC/DC acts paying homage to the hard rock legends. Ballbreaker appeared performing the song "Let Me Put My Love Into You," recorded live during their support of LOVERBOY. 2005 found the band celebrating their 10th anniversary with the release of their second full length original c.d., "Hangman's Tree." Ballbreaker's newest , hard hitting platter of straight ahead rock n' roll quickly found critical success, being called "a power rock n' roll bomb" by French music distributor, Alain Brennus, and being ranked in the top ten hard rock releases of 2005 by Canadian webzine sleazeroxx.com, wich also listed the track, "Little Misunderstood" in the top 25 songs of 2005. The critical acclaim soon translated into a distribution deal with Houston, Texas based, Perris Records, and endorsements by companies such as Coffin Cases out of Los Angelas, California. As the buzz around Ballbreaker's "Hangman's Tree" continued to grow, the band found themselves with appearances in major publications such as Rock N Roll Damnation, and Revolver Magazine. Yet another highlight fo