I’d be a fan of Deathkiss over on WEMF even if I wasn’t a frequent contributor on the new “Deathkiss Radio Show” show because the show and the content rawk. And, more often than not, I get my ears opened to so much good local rawk. Which is the case with Test Meat, featured on the second volume of the semi-regular Death Kiss compilations (You can even read about the first volume over on Encyclopedia Metallum!).
Recently I had the pleasure of witnessing Test Meat live at the record release show for said compilation and at one point I turned to bostonregina during the show and described Test Meat’s sound as Helmet meets Sugar meets early Nirvana. “Joselyn” from the Death Kiss record gives a little hint of that (Read what we wrote about it here) but to really get a feel for TM, ya haveta dive into their discog.
Darryl Shepard is a Boston rawk fixture, okay? From Milligram and Roadsaw to BLACKWOLFGOAT and Slapshot and now Test Meat who currently has a lot to offer over on bandcamp. With Michael Nashawaty backing him on drums, this power duo creates tunes that are inherently timeless.
Their latest 7″, Please Hurt, hones that description from their live performance I mentioned earlier with songs that bash you over the head with Nashawaty’s thumping and Shepard’s crunching geetars (Pronounced “gi-tars”) yet brim with familiarity…in a wholly original way.
The true measure of a band, though, is how well the songs hold up live. I remember purchasing Badmotorfinger because of the singles at the time but not really LOVING the record until seeing Soundgarden and hearing tracks from that one performed live (Hell, they opened with “Jesus Christ Pose”. It was spiritual.) Coincidentally, “Cuffing Season” off the Demo/EP definitely shares some DNA with “Flower”.
But I digress.
Having only heard a smattering of Test Meat before, I was anxious to get home and hear the recorded works so I could appreciate it over and over again after seeing them live. And luckily, Test Meat is a band that captures that raw sound in the studio as well so when you hear them shred on songs like “Class” or “Please Hurt” know that you’re gonna get that intensity live as well.
In other words, you should check out what Test Meat has to offer.
For the latest on Test Meat, head on over here. Their most recent release, Please Hurt, is available now by clicking below or by clicking here.
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