Rough Edge: Big Cock CD Reviews

BIG COCK

"Motherload" (Driver Wild Music; 2008)

Reviewed by Metal Mark

Personally, my problems with Big Cock's debut, "Year of the Cock," were that the vocals sounded tired, the music was generic and somewhat flat, the production made it sound like a demo tape and the lyrics were silly and lame.

Their second album, which was self-titled, saw a definite improvement in the production and a slight improvement in the vocals, but it was still a rather weak effort considering that vocalist Robert Mason (Lynch Mob, Cry of Love) and guitarist David Henzerling (King Kobra, Lizzy Borden) had been decent performers in most of their previous projects.

In fact, the first two Big Cock albums seem to just be centered around the big, oh-so-hilarious joke of their band name and the lyrical theme of "we have penises and we like to talk about them ... a lot."

So the big question going into this album was is it any better than the other two? After several plays, I will say that indeed this is a much improved album. Mason's vocals are extremely powerful and almost always spot on with everything he attempts here. The band obviously took a different musical approach and they choose AC/DC as a basic model. Not anything new, but they bring their own touches as well plus the playing is certainly far tighter than the previous two albums. The music meshes together and the pace changes are fairly fluid. In addition, I have absolutely no complaints about the production because it certainly is sharp in every possible way that it could be.

The lyrics, however, are the same old juvenile rot yet everything is else is so much improved that it doesn't matter much.

"Motherload" very much sounds like it could have been done around 1990 due to the style, but it's overall a likable album with minimum baggage. This album will appeal to fans of AC/DC, Rhino Bucket, Bullet Boys and King Kobra.

For more information, check out www.bigcockrocks.com or http://www.myspace.com/bigcockrocks.

"Year of the Cock" (Driver Wild Music; 2005)

Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton

Big Cock comes from the Jackyl and Black 'N' Blue school of music, meaning they like it big, simple and raunchy. And, in rock'n'roll, there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, there's probably more right with it than wrong.

"Year of the Cock" is bursting with big guitars, edgy riffs, singable choruses and lyrics that will make you wince as often as they will make you laugh. For example, "Hard To Swallow" is either one of the filthiest songs ever written or one of the best tests ever to see who's got a dirty mind and who doesn't. And you can imagine what goes on in "You Suck the Love Out of Me."

But it's not just raunch that makes "Year of the Cock" roll. There are some tunes with a badass attitude here as well. Take the got-a-whiskey-bottle-and-I'm-gonna-bust-it-over-your-head swagger of "Bad Motherfucker" and "Dynamite," for example. And "Take It Off," like its counterpart by KISS with the same title, is destined to play in strip clubs across the nation for a long, long time.

Yes, "Year of the Cock" is a great party album, full of dirty, boozy, rockin' barroom songs that are heavy with smoky guitars, crushing boogie rhythms and raspy vocals courtesy of Robert Mason (Lynch Mob). It's raw rock'n'roll that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go ... and you won't want it to.

Big Cock: Robert Mason - Vocals, BMF; David Henzerling - Guitars, Vocals; John Covington - Drums, Percussion;
Colby - Bass, Vocals.

For more information, check out www.bigcockrocks.com.

Rating Guide:

A classic. This record will kick your ass.

Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.

So-so. You've heard better.

Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.

Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.

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