NEVER MIND THE BOTOX

BUSHMAN'S REVENGE are a trio out of Norway not too unlike label mates HEDVIG MOLLESTAD TRIO. Both are guitar, drums and bass and these are players! Man so much talent. The guitarist for BUSHMAN'S REVENGE does the same for GRAND GENERAL a band I love to pieces. So the boys did some recording in July from the 13 to 15 back in 2011 and the result was two albums. Companion albums you could say as this one and "A Little Bit Of Big Bonanza" were released in 2012 and it's kind of cool that the one I'm reviewing is all covers except for their own song to open the record while on "A Little Bit Of Big Bonanza" the opener is a cover( from "Ask The Ages" by Sonny Sharrock) and the rest are originals. Inverted companion albums? Kind of cool indeed.

So 4 stars for mostly covers doesn't sound right except that I don't know any of these songs except for the longest and the centre piece of this album "War Pigs" by BLACK SABBATH and they crush it. This is an all instrumental record of course and it's amazing to hear the guitar playing Ozzy's vocals in a different tone from earlier. They just nail this one though and I know SABBATH is one of their favourite bands. They do it justice. Again the drummer, bass player and guitarist are just so impressive. That was my favourite track on here but check out "Lonely Woman" my second favourite and an Ornette Coleman original. It's that mood with the Rypdal-like guitar that just blows me away. Melancholy as the drummer just flat out beats the tune into submission. But it's the guitar so Rypdal-like that brings "Whenever I Seem So Far away" to mind. Just screaming after 5 minutes.

"No Time This Time" is an uptempo tune originally done by THE POLICE. The guitar lights it up and the drumming and bass are both killer. Next is a SUN RA cover "We Travel The Spaceways" and this is where the bass player just earned a reputation. Come on! Almost forgot about that BOB HUND cover sounding so 60's at least the guitar. So catchy. They end it with a PIXIES cover "Monkey Gone To Heaven". Catchy and fairly heavy too. I like when the guitar changes tone before a minute and when he lights it up before 3 minutes.

This band knows how to have some fun and I certainly had that every time I spun this record. Just too good to go lower than 4 stars.