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Here's what the
press has said about 'Locked & Loaded':
Locked and Loaded is the long awaited
second CD release from Alabama's Penetrators, and it's head and shoulders
above the first. Outstanding writing, well developed surf and spy instros,
a variety of influences, and consistently strong sound. The lads have
outdone themselves. The only crime is how long we all waited for this
puppy. Excellent album.
--Phil Dirt (www.reverbcentral.com).
Thrusting onto the surf rock scene of
Atlanta, GA, the Penetrators made their official recording debut in 1996
with the album Kings of the High-Speed Weekend on Southern Surf Records.
Following the EPs Hit the Jet Stream With... and The Penetrators Meet the
Space Cossacks both in 1997, the Penetrators second album, Locked and
Loaded, was released two years later on Double Crown Records.
--Mike
DaRonco, All Music Guide
Here's a review of Locked & Loaded in
the new issue of New Gandy Dancer:
THE PENETRATORS
"LOCKED & LOADED" CD
(Double
Crown Records no #; USA; 38 mins)
Checkpoint
Echo / 50 Bucks A Midget / Redlined
/ Midnight Run / Deception Bay / Another Time, Another Place / Codename:
Gypsy / Speed Bump / Single-Malt Stomp / Triple-Dog Dare / Mariner 4 /
Locked & Loaded / Southern Surf Syndicate Stomp
At last The Penetrators have a second
album to their credit, and boy does it get off to a flying start.
Checkpoint Echo is one stunning number that manages the seemingly
impossible: it would sit as comfortably on a UK/Euro guitar instro album
as it does on this American surf-styled set. It has a driving rhythm and a
beautifully echoed melodic and evocative lead. 50 Bucks A Midget sounds
quite routine in comparison but Redlined is a driving reverb surfer of
considerable power.
As ever, Gary Usher/Dick Burns' Midnight
Run shines brightly and The Penetrators give it plenty of polish with
their fine delivery. Damped reverb picking sets the stage for a moody lead
on the atmospheric slowie Deception Bay. It's a tasty and effective
diversion form all the activity around it, this is one to set beside The
Surfraiders' great Point Conception '63. Another Time, Another Place
shifts the action up a couple of gears to a catchy mid-tempo beat, with
more of that damped picking in the background and a ringing lead.
Codename: Gypsy moves into top gear but doesn't miss out on the melody
front either, this has the feel of an Exodus-inspired theme and that's OK
by me. Speed Bump is a traditional surf stomp and I'm also partial to the
occasional dose of single malt, which is celebrated here with a Celtic
flourish.
Triple-Dog Dare features the duetting
and duelling guitars of Rip Thrillby and Spanky Twangler before the second
cover, an excellent version of The Ventures' Mariner 4 in full space
flight – love those chords! The title track is deep and dirty, a slow
and menacing spy theme of great stature that builds nicely at the end. The
album closes with a romp through the Southern Surf Syndicate Theme which
is a trademark melodic fast surfer. A fitting conclusion to this balanced
and highly enjoyable set.
(Alan Taylor)
'Locked
And Loaded'
has been played stations all over the world, including:
KCSN (Northridge, CA), KFJC (Santa Cruz,
CA), KOOP (Austin, TX), KDHX-FM (St. Louis), KSYM (San Antonio, TX), WJCU
(Cleveland, OH), Spinner.com, KFAI (Minneapolis, MN) |
