More than one reviewer has called upon the unholy triumvirate of Venom/Bathory/Motorhead in describing Maax’s sound. But isn’t all extreme metal profoundly influenced by these three bands? If so, what does the reader gain from this particular citation? In the metal-nerd’s quest for ever greater levels of erudition, are we not veering dangerously close to futile masturbation in it’s stead? Many readers desire simply to know what an album “sounds like.” The consensus seems to be that one should reference bands of influence in the effort to address this demand. However, there is precious little distinction drawn in much of metal journalism between influence, mere precedent, and sonic similarity. It is accurate and fair to note that Venom, Bathory, and Motorhead preceded Maax in mixing the musical palette from which Six Pack Witchcraft draws. In fact, with the exception of the garbled production, the similarity to Venom’s landmark record Black Metal is quite striking. This is that rarest of cases in which we can say not only that Venom, Bathory, and Motorhead came before Maax, but also that their music is sonically similar and it can therefore be logically inferred that influence is at work. However, and this is important, it can hardly be expected that today’s younger fan, or even an older fan of a more casual persuasion is able to recall with eidetic precision the vocal stylings, riffage, and production values of what, in the larger scheme of things, is a set of three fairly obscure bands. So, for fuck’s sake already, what does Maax’s new EP Six Pack Witchcraft “sound like”? Lair of the Minotaur – Evil Power.

If you haven’t listened to Lair of the Minotaur’s most recent LP Evil Power yet (I hear voices! Make me kill!), you owe it to yourself to go get it right now. It is what Six Pack Witchcraft wants to be when it grows up and it is awesome. It’s one of the ten best albums released so far this year and it shines where Six Pack fades. Six Pack Witchcraft has a bit more black in it, both lyrically and musically, and man, is it fucking muddy. At some point, you don’t sound raw, you don’t saw dark, you don’t sound alive, you just sound like shit. Parts of various songs suffer this malady more than others on Six Pack, but, at times, the record is so damn loose and crowded, it drowns in its own vomit. You just can’t make enough out of the parts you can hear to create a satisfying listening experience. Six Pack Witchcraft (the title track), though, is mostly clear enough and it’s a decent song anyways. It’s got a funky drumbeat going and some sweet six string action. The riffage here and in the next and final song Bastards, a pretty good one too, is where you can hear that old Motorhead pop up. Fire in the Hole isn’t too bad either. It has a bit of a black punk vibe to it (a year of free access to metalreviews.com for the first who can guess the name I’m supposed to drop here. Hint, hint: its not FUCKING Discharge - gag me with a spoon (not because they suck, because I'm sick and tired of seeing their name in every review I read. Have I made my point yet?)).

Maybe if you love Evil Power like I do and you’ve got money to burn, you’ll find a quick fix with Six Pack Witchcraft. But if you have to choose between the two, Evil Power is your winner, hands down. I’ll say this for Maax, though - they have the parts in the garage. I’m optimistic that their next record (the band says it will be titled Unholy Rock & Roll) will be more of a hot rod and less of jalopy.