Album Review - Year of the Dragon "Five Fingers of Def!"
So Cal's Year of the Dragon is a band you really should, no, make that need, to wrap your ears around. Combing the best elements of metal, funk, soul and punk, this group is pushing boundaries few other bands dare push and the result is an EP that rocks with the strength of a full length album. After spinning Five Fingers of Def! for a few weeks, it is clear they deserve every ounce of praise which can be heaped upon them.
Year of the Dragon is a side project of Fishbone's Dirty Walt Kibby II. Actually, no, that is not quite fair, because the epithet "side project" can be mistaken for music born out of vanity or not good enough for a main band release, and the sounds being dropped by Year of the Dragon are far too good for that description. Time for you to hit play, read on and hear why.
Vox duties in YOTD are shared between Dirty Walt and Rodcore Palmer, Marc Rey on the axe, T-Bone holding down the bass and Jason Gaddis on skins is the band's current lineup. On this disc, drums are played by Kerim Aaron Imes with bass Dirty Walt's Fishbone alum, Norwood Fisher. This is a quick but quality listen, so let's break it down track-by-track.
"Quit Bitchin'" - Fierce guitar riffage is always a good way to start any release. Throw in the truly sick bass playing of Norwood Fisher and YOTD delivers a knockout punch to open this disc. The message behind the lyrics is in a similar league as Street Sweeper Social Club. Major props to Marc Rey for the guitar solo on this one.
"Just Don't Know" - Now this is some proper old school LA-punk stylee going on here. Actually, the musicianship here is quite a bit better than those days gone by. The band has gone next level with putting together a music video that echoes the song's anarchic heritage.
"I am Your Darkness" - Now we get to hear Year of the Dragon's metal soul in full effect. The band delivers a terrific groove for Dirty Walt and Rodcore to wrap their vocals around.
"Open Your Eyes" - Dirty Walt growls out his vocals like a monster on this one. I've not heard of axeman Marc Rey before, but his guitar tone, especially on the solos like this songs' are a big part of what I like about Year of the Dragon.
"Simple Man" - This track is the disc's best example of how Rodcore and Dirty Walt's vocal styles play off each other. Angelenos will most enjoy the activities the song's protagonist gets up to. Norwood Fisher's playing on this track along with the opener have caused me to switch instruments; from air guitar to air bass.
"Race of Doom" - Missing from the downloadable and physical versions of Five Fingers of Def! is this rockin' bonus track, but you can hear it via the band's Soundcloud stream.
You may have read me extol the greatness of Nor Cal's The Memorials recently with the release of their sophomore album. If you like them, or the previously mentioned Street Sweeper Social Club you will absolutely enjoy listening to Year of The Dragon. I have it on good authority that the band has more quality jams of this nature on the way. In the meantime, you should be loading up your playlist with Five Fingers of Def! via Amazon or iTunes and checking out Year of Dragon's other sounds.
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