Bass Drum of Death

It's fitting that Bass Drum of Death's debut LP slams open with the most barbaric and hard-hitting drum solo you’re likely to have heard in quite some time. Thunderous boom-chicks from bass and snare own the first seven seconds, abusing a mic that is clearly not crafted for the punishment. The album is called GB City, and the song goes by “Nerve Jamming,” an excellent title for the uncompromising garage-rock barnburner that begins a 10-song onslaught that could easily torch through all the farms in the duo's native Mississippi. The song in question pairs its barrage with jagged rock riffs. The two parts collide powerfully.

The band’s earth-shattering verve comes courtesy of a super-stripped-back approach. They run lean and fast on a frame of steel-tight drumming and an engine of pure rock aggression. It's not so much simplification as it is extreme concentration. The riffs here follow traditional blues patterns, but they strip away frills past the point of most punk rock. Every three-note solo hits like a scathing revelation thanks to the bare-bones aggression that surrounds it. The band operates on such a just-what's-necessary basis that they only go by their first names: Colin plays drums. John plays guitar and sings. That's all you need to know.

Bass Drum of Death doesn't venture away from traditional garage rock at all. Instead, they lock down on select hallmarks and throw out the rest, tearing through their strengths with energy few others can muster. It's accessible rock of the most intense pedigree. —Jordan Lawrence