Turbo Shokk is:
Ryan “Razor” O’Shea – Bass
Michael Arcane – Drums
Stack Manley – Vocals
Additional Musicians:
Hedras Ramos – Lead guitar
Tony Petrocelly – Bass and guitar/Production
To close out the year check, out Turbo Shokk’s debut release of Get Radical that was released less than a month ago on Edgewood Arsenal Records. New Year’s Eve is all about having fun; reminiscing about the past while looking forward to the future and Turbo Shokk fits the bill perfectly for both!
Billing themselves as a true Hair Metal Band, Washington, D.C.’s Turbo Shokk dedicate Get Radical to those that have forgotten how to party 80’s style. With a wide smile, I could not agree more. Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, I can say with absolute certainty that they have this schtick down to an art form. Not everything has to deal with serious issues, bitch about stuff or have some pompous, holier-than-thou moral. What the hell is wrong with just having some fun and enjoying some good music (“I’ve been thinking about this, Mr. Hand. If I’m here and you’re here, doesn’t that make it our time? Certainly, there’s nothing wrong with a little feast on our time?”; Fast Times at Ridgemont High)? This is not meant as a dig, but as a complete compliment. I often miss music just for the fun of it. Yes, music is supposed to illicit some emotional, but it does not always need to be negative, sad or angsty. This album could have dropped in the mid-80’s and fit right in with the likes of old Bon Jovi, Kiss, Quiet Riot, Ratt, Whitesnake, the first three Crue albums, Twisted Sister (“What do you want to do with your life???”; “I Wanna Rock”), W.A.S.P. and the rest of these beloved classic bands that stayed on the heavier side of Hair Metal. Forget the late eighties cheesiness of Poison, Extreme, Europe or Warrant (still hate Power Ballads intermingled with Metal songs!) and the uber-Bluesiness of Cinderella (whom I still love, by the way), because Turbo Shokk eats that sh*t for breakfast (“You eat pieces of sh*t for breakfast?”; Happy Gilmore). This band has the stuttering rhythms, high pitched, screaming guitar riffs, pounding Blues bass lines and compressed drums for days. Hell, there is even cow-bell (“Needs more cowbell”; The Bruce Dickenson, SNL/2000)! Lyrical themes carry the same raunchy, tongue in cheek humor that managed to find its way into this style of music way back when with the same underlying attitude left completely intact. While they don’t go as far as Steel Panther in this regard, there is enough innuendo here to redden the faces of the most prudish and piss off those that choose to have their collective butts on their shoulders with artificial offense instead of having a freaking sense of humor (“You mean, let me understand this cause, ya know maybe it’s me, I’m a little f*cked up maybe, but I’m funny how, I mean funny like I’m a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I’m here to f*ckin’ amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?”; Goodfellas). Don’t think, however, that this is some watered down wanna be comedy band though. These guys are all players with a deep understanding of what it takes to drive very hard, fast and heavy while staying focused enough to remain on the course to 80’s dominance in 2016. Vocals vary from semi-clean to mid-high pitched screaming, just short of Vince Neil’s highs that defined the period correct genre. None of the whiny stuff like White Lion either. Stack’s vocal chords just don’t have it in them. Think a range from early Bon Jovi to a gravely Dee Snider. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that, right?!? On top of really good music with a great vibe, Get Radical has an incredibly polished sound due to the recording, mixing and mastering skills of Tony Petrocelly. Like I have stated so many times, there is about nothing worst than a good band being short changed by bad production. Not to worry because it was done wonderfully. Not to the standard of the sterile, modern day production, but in a way true to their grittier 80’s style direction. They would have lost a lot of the vibe if done any other way. Again, these guys are musicians first and every decision shows their unrelenting passion for what they play.
All in all, this is an extremely solid release and a real bombshell of a debut. I cannot remember so many throw-back moments and smiling this much listening to anything as much as I have listening to Get Radical as of late. So, if you like 80’s Hair Metal and everything that went along with it way back when, you have a really good new music to stave your appetite from this point, forward. Reminisce now and look forward to the coming year with a smile on your face and a few beers in your bellies with Turbo Shokk! Peace! I’m out for 2016…
Tracklist for Get Radical:
“Put The Hammer Down”
“Get It Up”
“Can’t Chain Me Down”
“Thou Shalt Rock”
“Backstage Betty”
“Strip Sin City”
“Shokk ‘n’ Roll”
“Powersmasher”
“Sexth Sense”
“Rock Hard”
“I’m Gonna Love You”
For more on Turbo Shokk, check out: Facebook BandCamp
