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Organ
SINGLE OF THE WEEK
TRUCKDRIVER JNR – And You’d Burst into Fire... Forever (We Like Danger) - Five scathing challenging tracks (six if we count the intro), intense metal-edged noise rock with a jagged alternative grungy post-hardcore edge to it. They’re from Leek (Staffordshire) and they’re certainly not interested in taking the obvious route, good a new band with a debut EP on a new label and showing some kind of need to become than just a summing up of their record collection. This is intense, epic, hard boiled where it needs to be, they’re not afraid to play with the dynamics of quiet and unconventional song lengths are not a problem, neither is galloping straight at your head with a punch or two of full on metal violence, chargers indeed. Something good kicking off here both in terms of the label and the band. A damn fine start, we look forward to more from both parties, we like danger - www.myspace.com/truckdriverjnr or www.myspace.com/welikedanger
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Moderate Rock
Ok so Truckdriver Jnr might not sound that dangerous by name but one listen to debut EP, 'And Then You'd Burst Into Fire, Forever', will have you checking your watch for the apocalypse. Combining an original quart of post-metal fuel with parts cribbed from Will Haven, Coalesce, Eden Maine and your local scuzzy punk troupe, this is a crashing, metallic champion of a record. 'Pretty Black' kicks things off proper, sounding straight-away like it can't wait to fight to a finish, the gentle burn of 'Sloane Peterson' segues into the four-minute sucker punch of 'We Are Men Of Action' with breakneck effect and the extended feedback attack of 'Holocaust Cloak' probably has grown men pleading for their ears when the band play it live. Quite how a group this good, have come from out of nowhere this fast, remains unexplained but, if you're a fan of any of the
names above or simply can't wait to hear what the end of the universe sounds like, just be glad Truckdriver Jr got behind the
wheel.
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Subba-cultcha
"Starting with the prowling menace of an early Ministry record, and them, boom, the band launch into the gonzoid punk-groove of Black Flag playing Bronx tunes... this is vibrant, explosive music that is full of passion, and deserved of your undivided attention!"
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Manchester Music
"Stoke’s Truckdriver Jnr are a noisy affair. But again the Potteries was responsible for inventing thrash – Discharge were famously the first band ever to take punk and to grind it into a furiously paced attack. Truckdriver though are more refined in tempo but use their guitars as crushing weapons, fuzzed and sharpened up.
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Tasty Fanzine
‘And Then You’ll Burst Into Flame’ is as much a housewarming present from Staffordshire band Truckdriver Jnr as it is for the new independent record label We Like Danger! At five songs long (the opening track is a sampled intro) it becomes clear that this band is about minimal vocals and structured sections of guitarwork and drumming. It’s heavy and rides the very thin line between rhythmic and monotonous, but if you like bands like Devil Sold His Soul you’ll know what I mean, and in that case I recommend it to you. Keep an eye out not only for this band, but for their label too. It’s more than a good start. Best tracks: ‘We are Men of Action’ and ‘Pretty Black’.
Willa C
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Nine Hertz
Stoke is a place made up of several towns lumped together, navigating them is hard for an outsider, but obviously makes sense to those who live there. With as many influences as towns that make up their hometown, Truckdriver Jnr blast through this six-track EP with a self-assured fire that is refreshing to hear.
After a brief, but epic intro, the fantastically paced and Keelhaul-esque 'Pretty Black' bursts forth and is an unrelenting lesson in whip-crack drums and riff methodology. The production is spot-on showcasing both guitars in the mix and frontman Wes' vocals cut through in a full-on roar.
This is particularly evident on the 'Oceanic'-era Isis sturm und drang of 'Sparks Rain Down Like Daggers From The Sky' where a calm, serene section is immediately followed by a crushing, yet uplifting doom riff, and flits between these two for most of the song, really riding a groove, which is a rare thing to do these days, bands seem too obsessed with constantly changing what they are doing throughout a song, and TDJ are showing here there's nothing wrong with ploughing a riff.
A brief respite in instrumental 'Sloane Peterson' and we're back to the almost thrash-speed 'We Are Men Of Action' which rages along at breakneck speed and shows just how varied TDJ can be as a band, if you can count influences on more than one hand that's a good sign for sure. Ending this particular song with an vast, soaring eagle of a riff and some throat-shredding vocals, TDJ really are criminally underrated as a band.
As they close with another smattering of influences in the form of 'Holocaust Cloak' the Hydrahead in this band is evident, but then so is a hint of stoner rock, a lot of metal and certainly bags of individuality, a truly innovative and addictive band that people should check out post haste.