Metal Underground.com

There are some CDs I enjoy because they feature spectacular singing, masterful musicianship and prime production values. Then there's "Hard Boiled & Dirty" by Seven Dirty Words, which features little of the above, but has a mix of attitude and riffage that, to put it plainly, kicks ass. And I think that's exactly what the band had in mind when it created this EP.

Things get off to a spectacular start with "Dusted," a tune that's quite reminiscent of "Big Red Rocket Of Love" by psychobilly masters The Reverend Horton Heat. I particularly enjoyed the shout-along chorus and Silvio Stefanini's sublimely sloppy guitar solo, which reminded me a great deal of something you'd hear from AC/DC's Angus Young.

The band cites Motorhead as one of their musical inspirations, and "Let It Ride" seems to be their take on "Ace Of Spades," with bass-playing vocalist Brian Jones spitting out gambling metaphors ranging from a "joker's smile" to a "full house," and a "stacked deck" as the band thunders on at 100 miles per hour.

Another great shout-along — the ever-reliable metal staple "Yeah, Whoa!," (or is it "Whoa, Yeah!"?) combined with some great guitar breaks, makes "Lucky Lick" a fun little bopper to bash around to in your living room.

Sure, the lyrics to the barroom brawler "(I'm Your) Motherfucker" are a little juvenile, but I'd wager it's still just the thing to make you want to smash a pool cue over someone's head.

"In Hell" finds the band showing some sonic creativity by putting Jones' voice through a megaphone effect and adding a wah-wah pedal to Stefanini's guitar arsenal.

There's only one slightly sub par track on the EP, that being "Fast Lane," on which the production values, which are nearly on par with the band's heroes, AC/DC's "Let Their Be Rock," make it a little difficult to comprehend what's going on.

Jones is definitely from the Lemmy Kilmister vocal school, delivering everything in a gravelly shout. There's not a lot of range shown here, but I don't think there needs to be, so that's a minor quibble.

If you're looking for technical perfection, you'd best look elsewhere. But if you're looking for 20 minutes of kick-ass metal, "Hard Boiled & Dirty" provides it in spades. I'm looking forward to what Seven Dirty Words will do when they get around to recording a promised - or is that threatened - full-length album.