Rash Panzar is a hard rock group from Geneva, Switzerland, who have just released a 12-track album titled "Liberation."
Rash Panzar was formed in 1979 and released their first single, "Heavy Leaders," in 1984, followed in 1988 by the EP "Rock ’n Roll Street," helmed by famed producer Dennis Weinreich (Jeff Beck, Procol Harum). They continued to release albums over the years until 2023 when they hired producer Serge Morattel to record "Liberation" and are now busy with that same producer on a follow-up. Here are just some of my favorites. When people talk about songs blasting right out of the gate, they're talking about a song like "Easy Lovin’, Easy Livin’," which tears down your backyard fence with chainsaws and jumps on the foot of your bed with hard-living, hard-loving vocals. Rash Panzar basically sound like every hard metal band you ever liked mixed together in a bongwater stew. I could list names forever, but how about Van Halen, Detective, Black Oak Arkansas, and AC/DC to start? The vocalist has total rock swagger, and the lead guitarist shreds without too much neck-tapping lunacy. "Rock On" is a jaunty, jumpy ode to both rock and roll and the ladies one finds haunting the shows (is that sexist? This kind of music gets you thinking that way!). On this track, I became aware of the drummer’s deep pounding tubs and tumbling rolls. "Freewill" takes a lateral move to very heavy metal with wild wah-wah lead guitar skittering around with startling abandon. The lead vocalist goes way beyond James Hetfield cookie-monster menace. For a song like this, my music pals would say: “Here come the Orcs!” "No Way" starts with a double-time jungle beat that reminded me of '50s rock and roll, and as soon as I thought that, the singer burst forth with a very Elvis-like vocal (or Jon Spencer, if you want a reference that’s less than 70 years old!). Not quite as loud and heavy as the previous tracks, so there’s a bit more sonic room to enjoy the musicianship. The steady beat almost reminds me of brushing teeth, highly amplified and backed up with floor toms. Similarly, "Reason" has a very fast piano-based beat that hints at the early rock and roll of Jerry Lee Lewis. You’d expect a track named "Wild Roses" to have an acoustic guitar, and there it is! Without losing any of the power of the whisky-drenched lead vocals (and the cool harmonies), this is a laid-back ballad with heavy choruses and, of course, a sweet concluding guitar solo. "Liberation" is a stomping rocker distinguished by bluesy slide guitars slithering around unrelenting one-chord verses and angry, rollicking choruses. "Shiny Eyes" is the concluding track of your dreams, with a supersonic forward momentum that could power a Mack Truck. For these guys, this is a love song, and I’ll be damned if our swaggering lead singer doesn’t betray a sentimental catch in his powerful pipes. Ear-popping fast-picked solo for the win! I won’t pretend there’s anything new or revolutionary about this music, but if you love this sound and style, these guys have it down to a crazed science!
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