Tick - Tick - Tick... Rocket 69 is a caffeine bomb waiting to explode and blow your speakers. Yes, Rocket 69 is LOUDER and snottier than most bands I've heard in awhile. Opener "Search & Destroy" is a crossbreed of early Kiss and Dead Boys. I suppose these boys grew up in Detroit PUNK city.

"Negative Way" and "Just kill me" are glamorous 77punk of the finest order. "Freaks", "Everything is Fine" and "Somebody's gonna get their Head kicked in tonight" (the latter is a cover) are pure hits and should earn Rocket 69 some well-earned recognition. Pogo Pop Pop - Pang! Are you ready for a rocketride?

"Demolition Diary" closes with a nice stomping country gem with a topic we all can relate to, called "Goodbye Bar, Hello Floor". All in all, this is a very strong album of American punkrock. I certainly hope that this RnR Rocket from Richmond take off really soon... They deserve it.

SIX FOOT THIRTEEN - Rocket 69 b/w SHE'S THE BOMB - Dion Blade and the New Kings of Rock (Rockin' House Records)
Oh yeah! The Rocket 69 guys put me in mind of the Raw Power Stooges having a punch up with Zen Guerilla in a garage. Someone (Time Steele? Vocalist Dan-O?) can play guitar and lays it all over the two-minutes or so of beautiful noise that's in these tracks. From the minimal biographical details on the sleeve they hail from Richmond, Virginia, and they look less than healthy in the photo. Fantastic production with a brash, roraring guitar sound. Seriously good. The Dion Blade song on the flip is equally short and to the point, although Spinal Tap lyrics like "Open up those bomb bay doors/So I can drop my load" make it unclear how serious/silly they are. Suffers by comparison to the Rocket guys but I'm by no means dismissing them just yet. - The Barman