Bone Shaker

BONE SHAKER - Bang- You're Dead
Turkey Vulture Records
By Bob Cooper

Milwaukie's Bone Shaker returns with their second CD called Bang- You're Dead and prove once again that a lot can be accomplished with stylistic simplicity. These 10 songs are hauntingly reminiscent of Wasp and early Judas Priest in the sense that the band seems to be inspired by such classic metal of the eighties, but much simpler and lyrically not as deep. The result is a kick-ass band that would surely seem to be a lot of fun to hear live. Forget the prince of darkness and posers with big hair- these musicians are here to convey one message to the masses, and that is that they like to ROCK. The lyrics are uncomplicated and you don't have to acclimate your ears for long before you start to fit right into what they are saying, and likely you will be singing along.

But the most incredible thing about Bone Shaker is that they are a 3-piece band that puts out as much sound and vibe as a 5-piece! You will probably hear more of this band, but if you can't wait, simply go to www.boneshakerinfo.com

- Crave magazine

Bone Shaker’s Milwaukee Metal
By Brian Barney

Hair metal is viewed in many ways: Reverence, distaste, obsession, incredulity and even humor are all evoked in descriptive commentary by critics and fans who debate the genre. No matter what your take on it, though, metal is still alive and well. With a mission statement that is geared toward injecting "new" into "old school," Milwaukee's Bone Shaker is one of the genre's biggest local proponents.

The band has toured relentlessly since forming in 2006. Bookings picked up particularly after their well-received debut, 13 Ghosts, and they've since played large stages supporting bigger-name acts throughout the Midwest. A quick listen would leave most seeing Iron Maiden as a heavy influence, but the band has a knack for inserting bridges and solo sections that speak to the fans of edgier bands such as Slayer and Venom. While melody is typically forsaken in this brand of rock, Bone Shaker uses it in a way that adds some accessibility without compromising their grit.

The band's latest release, Bang, …You'reDead (Turkey Vulture Records), has no ambitions of transcending genre expectations, but it's a finely tuned, heavily produced album with all the over-the-top guitar solos and ear-piercing vocal lines a heavy-metal fan could ask for. Bone Shaker has delivered exactly what its fan base has ordered. Songs like "Hell and Back" would easily win over any Priest fan, while tracks such as "Dr. Strange" have a trippy feel, with rhythm tracks that are as smooth as they are sharp. The anthem "How We Rock" finds Bone Shaker doing what the band does best, with a football-shout chorus that would prompt any true metal fan to throw the devil horns high.

The band prides itself on its live show. "Rock 'n' roll is as visual as it is sonic," says guitarist/lead vocalist David "Gonz" Gonzalez. And the group's shows live up to the hype. Gonz, bassist Camille Gonzalez and drummer Brian DeHarde work hard at this aspect, prowling the stage appropriately adorned in leather, spandex, and more leather. This July, the band found new meaning in the expression "bring the house down." While playing the Rocklahoma metal festival in Oklahoma, a roaring storm collapsed the staging area that sheltered the band. Camille suffered a broken hand, which prompted the cancellation of two gigs. But she's on the mend and ready to rock again.

Bone Shaker plays a recovery performance this Saturday, Aug. 30, at Liquor Sweets with King Kong and Spiral Trance.

- Shepherd Express

Recalling some of the '80s metal tinged hard rock acts that rode melodic riffs and hooks without concern for flashy playing, "Bang… You're Dead" by Milwaukee's BONE SHAKER is a fun-filled ride. A thread of NWOBHM pride and bluster runs through these 10 tracks and the trio succeeds in writing memorable songs with a garage band charm that makes one feel as though they're jamming right along during an inebriated night at a local bar.

Considering all the bands today that are overly concerned with virtuosity and genre blending, it is a treat to hear a group that wears its influences on its sleeves and rocks hard. There isn't a shred of digitized sterility or needless layering on the disc, as the act puts the song first to satisfying results. The vocals of guitarist David "Gonz" Gonzalez are not exactly pitch perfect, yet he more than gets the job done by nailing the central melody of each song. Many of the tracks, such as highlight "How We Rock", possess an anthem-like quality that gets the head banging. Solos are always done in service to the song, are kept brief, and never sound as though Gonzalez is stretching beyond his limits. In general, the music reminds of the retro heavy metal sound that labels like Italy's Cruz Del Sur and bands like WIDOW have brought back to the masses. No pretense, just rocking out and having a grand time doing it.

Listening to "Bang… You're Dead" had me thinking that too often bands over think their craft. BONE SHAKER clearly have loads of fun performing and you can hear it on these tracks. "Bang… You're Dead" will probably not appeal to the average extreme music fan, nor is that the intent. Rather, the music of BONE SHAKER will bring smiles to the faces of those that remember the way that groups like 80's era Y&T and W.A.S.P. (in spirit if not exact style) brought smiles to the faces of those that appreciated the fundamentals of heavy metal and hard rock.


- Scott Alisoglu - www.blabbermouth.net

Saturday, January 19, 2008
Bone Shaker-Bang,...you're dead


Turkey Vulture
2007

I am not sure exactly what I was expecting from this based on the cover, but solid, gritty mid-1980’s style metal wouldn’t have been my first guess. However, that’s exactly what this late 2007 release is and it’s pretty much right up my alley. The music reminds me of Accept, Judas Priest, Grim Reaper and maybe even a dash of early WASP thrown in for good measure. The vocals are raw and work wonders as this trio absolutely plow their way through ten tracks that will make you think that it is 1985 again. They obviously strap on the studded bracelets and just go at it. Okay, they are not exactly busting down the doors of originality yet they are tearing up some killer metal with a lot of steam and fire. I love the energy they bring and they do a nice job of mixing up the pace as well. The production is in your face and they waste no time ripping into every single song. The lyrics are a bit on the cheesy side with dribble about rockin’ and three songs have “hell” in the title. Yet it is unquestionably one of the better old style metal albums I have heard in a long time. They have a lot of control and confidence and those two things coupled with their talent are what makes them better than a number of other bands I have heard recently who are trying to sound like old style metal.
- Heavy Metal Time Machine

Bone Shaker
Posted by: Station Manager on Monday, January 7th, 2008
Clearly, at first glance people may expect to hear something less than hard rock or heavy metal coming from Bone Shaker. Perhaps it’s the bands diverse members, or the fact that they have a …gg..ggg…ggirrllll…. sorry, girl in the band. Omg, try to contain yourself.

Hear their music, they rock out. Watch their video, and prepared to get your @ss kicked. Seriously, Bone Shaker puts the old school metal hurting on anyone who listens, and packs a mean vibrant punch on anyone who dares stand in their way.

I read their bio, and thought ok they formed in 2006 and blah blah - they want to tour - blah blah - they want to bring back the more theatrical metal performance - blah blah. I have heard this hundreds of times, and have never been satisfied with the end results. Well, um… not until now anyway. I always take my time with these reviews, skimming over bios, photos, listening to the music that is submitted - and then there is YouTube. Videos have become really really impressive in the Indie scene, with more and more of them capturing the live essence of a show than what you can grasp with just standard audio. In Bone Shaker’s claim that they want to bring visuals back to the genre, well - we stand behind them in that claim. They rock out on stage like their ancestors, and pack a huge punch in the hard rock/metal scene far beyond some of what we hear on a regular basis. Am I being hard on other bands? No. Am I suggesting that Bone Shaker has higher standards? Perhaps.

One of the most impressive aspects of the band is that the bassist is female, and she completely rules. To see her live onstage banging her head (oh the good old days) and with the other two "dudes" rocking out in the same manner, I just wet myself over and over. For one, any band who has pyro or air cannons, smoke, scrims, great lighting, costuming, and an overall rockstar attitude is much cooler than watching a bunch of poop-stained underwear drawer alternative grunge peeps rocking out like they were still in the gay-rage. Bone Shaker packs testosterone (and estrogen) into their music, and pumps you back into the days when metal music came in a 33rpm record, and the cover art made you want to worship Satan.

Nothing wrong with that, after all I was one of those fanatics.

So in 2007, Bone Shaker released their debut CD "Bang, …You’re Dead!" Catchy huh? The CD’s tracks are filled with some really grinding metal melodies that took me back to like my early metal loving days, and it made me want to get my denim jacket with my Iron Maiden backpatch and sport some torn jeans. This, of course, is a good thing - because Bone Shaker is definitely a band worth getting into if you love metal music at it’s roots.

Tracks on the CD like "How We Rock," sport lyrics which will get you banging your head in front of the loudspeaker faster than a junkie at Ozzfest, and faster than any metal riff that has ever been recorded. "Hell Razor," made me want to slit my wrists (in a good way) and jump into the mosh pit head first while bleeding to death. My point is, that Bone Shaker is an incredible trio that has a lot of potential, especially if you crave the speed metal that gets sends your body into tremors.

Get the CD, check out Bone Shaker, and LONG LIVE HARD FUCKING ROCK! \m/




- Streetblastradio.com