MetalCry
SHOT – SHOT EP
We now take a transatlantic flight and go to New York, hometown of the guys in SHOT, a band formed in 2009 but that has already claimed its place in the New York local scene through constantly reaching out, and this work has propelled the band to keep going forward now with a self-titled EP containing 5 tracks plus an intro that make a total of about 18 minutes of playback time.
The bands consists of Hector Marin on lead guitar, Besto Best on rhythm guitar, Roach Knives on drums, Grasebo on bass, and Billy Sioux as the band’s vocalist and frontman. With this EP, all 5 of them make clear that their intention is to grab the biggest influences that every fan of hard and sleaze rock has these days (bands such as Guns N’ Roses, Mötley Crue, Skid Row or even Led Zeppelin) and bring them to a more modern frame, more visceral and garage like, and bringing them even through somewhat of a punk and contemporary vision, finding references to bands such as The Hellacopters, Hardcore Superstar or Forever Vendetta, just to name a few.
The more exclusive details of each one of the tracks in SHOT are, above all, the frenetic combination of guitars that takes place all through the album, and Billy’s voice, full of attitude and pose in front of the mic, constantly giving out the impression that he is an authentic live whirlwind, spitting defiant phrases, with a content that naturally throws our imagination to the streets of the band’s city of birth. In this way the EP starts… with a guitar intro that goes into a crescendo and that ends in the rhythmic “Don’t Come Round Here”, a song of a very modern appearance, armed with a very characteristic and catchy guitar riff, truly enjoyable within a track of high revolutions and insistent drumming.
Next, SHOT shows us a more primeval approach, and with some aspects of punk in their songs, especially if we consider songs like “Axegrinder” and “Bodies (In The Trunk)”, in which the feel has a bit more of bands like Mötley Crüe on their more savage and simplified side. These are songs with lots of intensity and that offer a very pervaded guitar work, both from Hector and Besto, especially in the second of these two songs, in which the chorus calls for the audience’s response and, while not being overly complex, it leaves us with a good taste in the mouth.
“I Won’t Leave You Here” is the ballad in this EP, a very intimate track in the beginning that pays homage to Axl Rose and that later starts to get intensified, switching the clean guitar tone for a distorted one, and Billy’s voice goes climbing over a long guitar solo that takes us to the end of the song, in which upon arrival we have the strange sensation that something is missing, that the melody of the chorus of the song wants to reach does not transmit what is needed to put the necessary brooch to an interesting, but not fully worthy ballad.
Finally we finish with “In The Streets.” It is an exercise that makes us travel through all the instruments in the band, forming a song that is full of rhythm and in the style of a “jam session”, a track of a much more classic inspiration and that contains references to the ever present Aerosmith back in their more primeval stage.
Ultimately, we have a good project from a sleaze rock band, with good foundations upon which a future can be built, with a multitude of details to clean up, and with the need to build songs with more body and conviction, but with the band’s foundations well entrenched over their needs as musicians and artists, such as their need to compose to raise the passions of a live audience. It shows that we are dealing with a band that is in touch with reality and actuality, which does not forget about the past, but does not want to entirely rely on it either. “Shot” is the first stone in a long way, but it starts in the right direction.
TRACKLIST:
01- Intro
02- Don’t come round here
03- Axegrinder
04- Bodies (In the Trunk)
05- I won’t leave you here
06- In the Streets
Score: 6.5
- Written by Daniel Velasco Alonso
- English Translation by Hector Marin
- Edited for readability and context by Justin Best
http://www.metalcry.com/web/maquetas.php?id=149 (Original Spanish Version)
Jukebox:Metal
Shot – Shot
For their commercial debut New York based exponents of vintage rock ‘n’ roll Shot released this EP digitally Stateside in December 2009, and now in 2010 it’s becoming available further afield. With their strongest sound being heavily reminiscent if Velvet Revolver and other examples of Slash’s post-GN’R riffs, opening brace Don’t Come Round Here and Axegrinder are the EP’s best tracks, although emotive ballad I Won’t Leave You Here runs them close as Hector Marin’s lead guitar is very Slash-influenced throughout. That sound also returns at the end of the disc on In The Streets, but the intervening track, Bodies (In The Trunk), is a short, sharp, punk-rock track which is easily the EP’s weakest link. When they’re writing rock music in the vein of VR, and older influences like Aerosmith, Shot are a strong outfit, already with a glowing live reputation, so glossing over the weaker couple of minutes in the middle, this is a good rock EP that will stand them in good stead for a debut full length album. Not bad after only forming in 2009.
Written by Andy Lye More: Shot
http://www.jukeboxmetal.com/2010/shot-shot/
Uber Rock
Shot – ‘Self Titled’ (Self Released)
Written by David Prince
Friday, 03 September 2010 05:00
Shot are apparently the best band you haven’t heard of. Yet…
Why waste 50 seconds on an intro to a six track EP is my first question here. So given that this really is only a five track EP, I’ll get on with the job in hand!
First proper song on offer is the ridiculously catchy ‘Don’t Come Round Here’ which is exactly the kind of sleaze rock that Axl and his appetite for destruction used to deliver with such ease and needs right now. Shot are definitely in the vein of Buckcherry and Hardcore Superstar and the local heroes of the jacks Forever Vendetta. So similar are Shot to FV that it is actually scary…
‘Axegrinder’ is a slice of rebellious, middle finger waving in the air heaven which, with the vocal stylings of Billy Soux and the guitars of Justin Best and Hector Marin, slay all those other bands around.
Halfway through the six track EP is the raucous ‘Bodies (in the truck)’ which, with its up-tempo style, is the track that keeps the RAWK rolling. Next up is the penultimate track and the obligatory ballad ‘I Won’t Leave You Here’ which reminded me so much of Skin N Bones and their awesome ‘Cover Me With Roses’ and Alleycat Scratch’s ‘Roses On My Grave’, so to be held in such high esteem on my behalf of those duo of ballads is something that will keep me listening to this awesome debut release.
Shot are a shot in the arm of today’s sleaze scene and deserve to be one of the biggest bands around, let’s hope they get the breaks they deserve and prove me right!
http://www.uberrock.co.uk/cd-reviews/29-september-cd/1293-shot-self-titled-self-released.html
Hard Rock Nights
Introducing – SHOT ‘Hard Rock’
‘We wanted a name that matched our style. Something that really screamed to the audience: You’re going someplace. And you’re going through old-fashioned, hardcore rock and roll. Then someone said our music makes them feel like they were shot out of a cannon. And that was it. Perfect.’
That quote belongs to Justin Best, the enigmatic rhythm guitarist and songwriter for SHOT, the best band you haven’t heard of. Yet.
Originally formed in early 2009, Shot honed its musical talents on the mean streets of New York City. With their face-melting guitar solos, huge Neanderthal-style drums, and searing vocals, Shot’s aggressive style harkens back to the elder gods of arena rock and roll. Indeed, Shot draws inspiration from across time and genres to help them on their sacred mission: to thrust hard rock back in to the mainstream. Born from under the underground, the band’s over the top live show and dedication to creating kickass rock n roll has already entertained crowds as large as 800, destroyed guitars, and singlehandedly caused buildings to collapse. The boys have become fixtures on the New York music scene, and the Shot army continues to grow.
One listen to Shot’s first album, released in December 2009, reveals precisely why Shot has earned the admiration of it’s fans and the respect of its critics. With its radio ready sound. Shot is bound to please even the most demanding rock and roll aficionado. Whether it’s the fan favorite rock anthem, “Don’t Come Round Here”, the do-what-I-want “Axegrinder”, the trippy Aerosmtih-on-speed rock jam, “In the Streets”, or the lighter-raising “I Won’t Leave You Here”, the EP is quickly becoming a classic in the resurgence of New York rock n roll.
Shot’s first EP is now available on iTunes, Amazon, and in direct distribution markets.
http://hardrocknights.wordpress.com/2010/07/05/introducing-shot-hard-rock
