Holy White Hounds Plunge The Switchblade In Deep

Gotta hand it to Des Moines' Holy White Hounds. It's not even July and they've already composed the ideal Halloween haunted house soundtrack thanks to the highly tooth chattering trek into the wild unknown called "Switchblade". Space oddball special effects, double demon guitars, drums that have you screaming "Get me the hell out of the way!" before your brain has the chance to formulate the thought. Not to mention the progression of sound kick starts into fourth gear towards the tail end. This band's rhythm section is nothing short of divine. Bassist Ambrose Lupercal settles in for the super intimidating voyage to the point in your heartstrings that are most vulnerable. James Manson scatters some guitar spookiness that's going to leave you on the edge of your seat in the way that a top shelf slasher movie would. Drummer Seth Luloff has outstanding impulse control. He'll dot "Switchblade" only when necessary. His work very much qualifies as the random cherries on a psychotic sundae. Vocalist Brenton Dean keeps us all on our toes. He has the cunning of a trained sociopath particularly when communicating his point to the opposite sex. Suckin' on a switchblade isn't my ticket to an appetizing evening but then again that's one blogger's opinion. Let's continue our stroll through Brenton's ravaged psyche, shall we? Trust me...it gets more interesting the deeper you dig. We get the TMI possible truth that "Your mama should have loved you but I know she's an animal. Tough love indeed. He goes on to imply, "Even if she loves you, shes riding with her hands full. Hands full doing what with whom is another matter entirely but fantasizing is a good chunk of the fun in "Switchblade". Brenton gets the ol' high sign for penning the sentiment, "Your lips are made of rainbows." I find that biological based quip endearing if not a tad creepy. I mean...imagining panoramic colors where one's kissing apparatus should be does make one envision thoughts of the naughtiest caliber but I can't help but like the visuals of rainbow trysts alongside unicorns and monarch butterflies. In essence he took his sweetheart to the wasteland, ingratiating man of the world that he appears to be. You won't get thrown into epileptic seizure mode watching the video's second half but hold on tight with all you're worth because the visual overload could drive you batty if you don't watch yourself. "Switchblade" zooms at you with the subtlety of said instrument. It's also as viscerally thrilling as that item. Plenty of meat on the bones being played. For my dollar Seth has the creative percussion market cornered. No Johnny One Tap by any stretch. He can be both reserved and jaunty in equal measure. Ambrose gets my praise for dropping the psychological temperature in the room. Breton's tone of voice smacks of unbridled passion brought down to the gutter where at least in this instance, it works best. Don't be mislead by the opening speed of the song. We get treated to horse racing gallop on a cranium level. You need the occasional dose of sweat soaked power rock to get you through a rough spot. "Switchblade" plunges that power into the atrophying parts of your body and you come away somewhat revived. This is one knife you don't want to see confiscated any time soon.