you can ONLY get these cds threw Hammerlock at their shows.

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View all » Hammerlock is a band from Oakland that I first heard on (Anyone? Anyone?) Radio Free Bakersfield. (Seriously, tune in this podcast because Whore-hay has impeccable musical tastes.) It doesn’t take long to figure out what Hammerlock is all about: loud and fast guitars, growling vocals, a drummer that sounds like he is trying to beat his kit into submission. Oh, and a healthy iconoclastic spirit.

In the first song of Let the Bad Times Roll, the band enacts someone being arrest for a thought crime in a society where people are not allowed to think for themselves. Kind of gives you a good idea of what the band thinks of the times we live in, doesn’t it? It isn’t long before the iconoclastic spirit manifests itself again. In “Felt That Way for a Day,” the band laments that people only repeat what they hear on their color TVs. If you’ve ever worked in an office, you’ll know how close this is to the truth.

The greatest example of the spirit of this band is “I Reject It.” In this song, the band sings about many things it rejects. First and foremost on the list is how it rejects the “crap Hollywood shoves down our throats. “The list also includes the current socio-economic situation, lies told by journalists, and many more things.

If you were to ask me what one band Hammerlock reminds me of, I would tell you without hesitation: Nine Pound Hammer. this is a band that plays high-octane rock with some serious growl both in the lyrics and the attitude. To put it another way, this is music for pumping your fist and stompin’ the old boots. It is also good for blaring out of your car windows as you cruise down the highway. If you’re tired of watered-down, generic bands, and you’ve been looking for a band that truly rocks, do yourself a favor and add Let the Bad Times Roll to your collection.