Weed riffs / punk beats / van life.

GLORYHOLE RECORDS / DRINK OR DIE RECORDS

"This is a rock and roll band, heavy on the rock. They put on my Torche and Hatred Surge records and wrestle every time they come over. They call everyone "muh dawg" and themselves "daddy". - Matt Aull

The Ripple Effect:
Male Bondage - S/T EP
Disgusto-bathtub meth-addled punk sludge from the glorious heartland of America. Slithering from underneath whichever moss-encrusted rock they used for refuge during their last hangover, Male Bondage brave the sunlight to drop off this 5 song traveling mosh pit of post-stoner slime. Vocals gargled out in belching bursts of air, guitars muted and strummed with hammers for picks. The opener, "Entrance Music" is such an impossibly slowed-down, and lumbering post-Sabbath doom fest that I couldn't tell if I was playing a 45 at 33 RPM. But I need not fear. The punk blitz of "Violent Cravings" ramrodded straight into my brain next, letting me know that the speed was right. As was the whole damn package! Stoned out farts of punk fury, mixed with fuzz and spit. The boys are even crafty enough to toss in a touch of indie rock charm to "High Road," without ever losing sight of the fact that they just really don't care.
Side two, shows a touch more of the bands chops with "Voice of Reason" exploding with post-hardcore punk and some pretty serious guitar chops. "Bondage of Men" wraps it up with pure bile and axle grease. If that doesn't all sound like the key ingredients to a good night's party, I don't know what is.

Pocket Jury:
Male Bondage – Male Bondage EP
2012 – Self-Released
Essentially comprised of two-halves of Full Rainbow and Step Dads, Male Bondage are a quartet from Indianapolis, IN. Their eponymous debut is a five song EP which showcases a band with road-hardened chops and muscular punk rock tunes to go with it. Brisk, full-throttle bare-bones punk is the order of the day, with a side serving of stoner rock fuzz. The band’s self-described ‘Entrance Music’ is a decent slab of quasi-Sabbath doom, all the better to lure you into the break-neck ‘Violent Cravings’ – a stonking, two guitar romp which evokes innumerable punk rock luminaries from the early eighties. Twin brothers Adam (guitar, vocals) and Alex Jones (bass, vocals) are joined by guitarist Charlie Thomas and drummer James Lyter. The rhythm section is rigid but powerful, suggesting a band who are already absolutely comfortable in the live arena. The interplay between guitarists Jones and Thomas is neat, with each song pulling in a subtly different direction in either channel. ‘Voice of Reason’ is the real winner for me, a fairly tuneful number which builds into a little bit of a groove later on. ‘Bondage Men’ is broadly reminiscent of Black Flag (somewhat appropriately, one of the cover stars has the bars tattooed on his chest) and the more melodic ‘High Road’ could be a long lost Jawbreaker tune. Check their tour schedule and give them a place to sleep if you can. I’ll bet you five bucks they’re a kick-ass live band.

RAZORCAKE: Braced myself for some dopey, good-natured hardcore stuff based on the band name, cover art, and song titles like “Violent Cravings” and “Bondage Men,” but no, the music’s pretty sophisticated, with guitars that aren’t afraid to stray off and do their own thang. Not a thrash beat to be found. Been a good spell since this sub-sub-style was de rigueur, so it actually feels a bit fresh-airy. –Jimmy Alvarado