You've probably never heard of Gaswar before, but that's because they're a new band of old hands - Kevin Rutmanis of Cows, Melvins and Tomahawk; and Apollo Liftoff and Jeff Mooridian of Hammerhead and Vaz. Now surely you've heard of those. (The band's name comes from the competitive pricing wars that used to happen between gas stations in the '70s. Better than calling your band 'Star Wars' and does allude to some sort of conflagration.) 'Girl Vanishes On Way To Jive Club' is the debut album of this noise rock outfit, which was mostly recorded way back in 1999, but not released then due to involvement in other projects. Kept in the deep freeze all these years it still sounds as fresh as anything made today. Says Rutmanis regarding their creative process: "There was a basement we could rehearse in during the brutally cold Minnesota winter. We all played pretty much all the time, and were in each other's company most of the time. It was only natural to combine these two activities." And it shows- these guys sound like they've been playing together for years and years.

Opening strong with "Get Down Moses" this trio pounds it out relentlessly with a tune that has the structure of a fast moving freight train, then heads off the rails in an explosive ending like East Palestine. Ironically, next track "Memories of Steam" tries harder in the vocal department and I'm sensing some Tomahawk influence here, and while not as chaotic as the previous, it's still plenty noisy. By this time you'll realize that vocals are destined to be submerged in the morass, but oh what a gloriously noisy morass it is. Gaswar gets a lotta mileage out of two chords in "Lion" but no one could see a "Terrible Day to Have Eyes" coming up from behind to steamroll all predators. With a title more apropos to a My Life With The THrill Kill Kult sample, "Debra Had Never Felt So Dirty IN HER LIFE" pours on the mayhem like nothing else I've ever heard; sort of a 'band in a blender' kind of thing. The bedlam on this track is just insane. Hey, let's slow it down a bit and compose ourselves at "Midnight at The Bush Foundation." This could almost be goth by a stretch of the imagination, as it's certainly atmospheric enough, but launches quickly after the respite into "Mom and Dad and Father" with a distinctive riff sewn throughout the commotion. And if that wasn't enough, "Father Complex and the Solution of the Rat Idea" is the perfect pendemonium to end this wild and crazy ball of confusion. I have to admit that noise rock is not my favorite genre, but these guys ABSOLUTELY KILL IT. The record is limited to only 300 copies, most pressed on white vinyl but some on pink. No limit on digital downloads.