Slam One Down

Hey More Sugar readers, it's Jaymz from Left In Ruins back to give you Metalheads my first brutal review of 2010!!! So I was recently at the Metallica/Lamb of God show at MSG, in NYC, and in the midst of Lamb of God ripping my face off with their brutal Southern Fried Thrash Metally goodness, my buddy J.R., former guitarist of NY Underground Hardcore veterans 4 In The Chamber, greeted me with a hug and put a disk in my hand. He said "Check out my new band, Slam One Down!!!" I thanked him, we went our separate ways and enjoyed the rest of the show. After 2 full listens to this disk, I immediately went to my computer and went to www.myspace.com/slamonedown and to my surprise, this band also enlisted in their ranks, the vocal skills of former 4 In The Chamber front-man Bobby Brazen!!! As you could imagine, Slam One Down does pay homage to their hardcore roots much in the same way 4ITC did, but the guys in Slam One Down also bring a mighty *#@%-load of old-school Metal to the table here as well!!! Thrashy riffs, often give way to catchy choruses, killer guitar solo's and yes, even the occasional mosh-friendly breakdown. Mr. Brazen sounds as evil as ever, with a throat full of whiskey fueled fire, and all the attitude to boot! Slam One Down is, as Jimmy Bower would put it, "All About The Riff!". These guys know how to tear it up the right way, and there is absolutely no lack of groove or rhythm on Slam One Down's "The Basement Demo's". For me the ultimate surprise here, comes in at track 3. "Hell Doesn't Want Me" starts off very mellow, with clean acoustic guitars, and Bobby Brazen crooning with a voice reminiscent of Down-era Phil Anselmo and Zakk Wylde. And c'mon, how can you not love a band that not only does the "Beer Run" song, but also does an acoustic version of it which reminds one of Pantera's "Planet Caravan" cover?!?! Personal favorites of mine on this CD are "Too Far Gone" with it's thuggish Hardcore stomp, "Music,Money & Girls" with it's Pantera meets Crowbar sludginess, and "To Live Forever" with it's gallopy, Iron Maiden-esque main riff. While Slam One Down may be a relatively new band, it's members have been doing this for a long time, and I gotta say I'm looking forward to seeing these guys at a lot of shows ripping it up in the near future and hoping to get the chance to share the stage with them myself!!! These guys will be at Popeye's Pub along with CT. Black Death Metallers Theogonia and more on January 9th, so make sure to come out and catch another killer FYC Metal show!!! Also hit them up at www.myspace.com/slamonedown to keep up with the band and their other upcoming gigs. - More Sugar

During my trip to New York I was fortunate enough to see Slam One Down play at Santos Party House after the Opeth show. Not only were these guys cool as shit to hang out with, but they destroyed the stage. They play straight forward metal that makes you want to punch anything in your way. During the show, they performed a Metallica/Pantera medley that was incredible, and the crowd lost their minds. This Saturday they are playing with Merauder, and I suggest everyone go see them if you can. They will tear that place apart and the whole lineup of bands is incredible. Check out the links below for their websites and if you want to buy tickets to the show, click here now!

Support The Underground Scene - www.SkullsnBones.com

Taking equal cues on how to make folks move from both hardcore and metal, New Jersey quartet Slam One Down throw down a familiar yet heavy-handed blend of hard nosed music on their eight-track offering THE BASEMENT DEMOS. Striking the fertile middle ground between the brutality of Pantera and Hatebreed, this outfit is hopped up with a hellacious fury that surges through each pummeling riff (“Music, Money & Girls”) and gravel-throated growling vocal (“What I’ve Done”), giving the kids in the pit a soundtrack they feel proud enough of to beat the hell out of each other to. Despite the Hellyeah-esque missteps found when the band opts to change tempos (“Hell Doesn’t Want Me”), Slam One Down provides a barrage of musical firepower that contains the metallic muscle to summon a full-scale riot on the dancefloor.
www.reverbnation.com/slamonedown
- Mike SOS - 3:16 Productions