4 out of 5 Stars!

From the state of Texas comes a truly bizarre band with an equally bizarre name, and even the individual band members take on bizarre personas (“The White Swan” on vocals and keys, “The Black Scorpion” on guitar, “Black Ninja” on drums, etc.) with all of them wearing masks to fit their alter egos. As I said, bizarre…but fun as hell.

Regardless, although the band’s style is often difficult to categorize, Shaolin Death Squad generally plays modern Prog-Rock with some Metal touches, incorporating a wide range of styles (including Zappa) into its music, which in many respects, reminds me of the early Art Rock albums by The Tubes, only with contemporary musical styles and influences vividly coloring the somewhat-theatrical vocal performances, song arrangements, and instrumentation.

Be that as it may, the band’s various studio releases—including this self-titled, six-track, thirty-minute debut EP—are highly creative, often experimental, well-performed, and quite enjoyable.

I wish Shaolin Death Squad (despite its name) a long and productive existence. 🙂

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