Malossi - ExhaustHead (Self-Release)
By Chris LaTray
February 17, 2005

5 more songs steeped in what the band themselves refer to as "Tuning Kit Rock"; this EP is a follow-up to 2003's 3-song EP titled First Bore. As I said then, Malossi is a quartet of crazy Norwegian longhairs who take their name from a European company who specialize in designing and selling performance exhaust packages for 50cc scooters, and the songs don't stray too far from that topic. In Big America, at least my neck of the woods, every auto lot is laden with gigantic, gas-guzzling pickups and SUVs, and the bike shops all cater to the Rebel Professional crowd (i.e., the doctors and lawyers currently keeping Harley Davidson in the black). For us, it may be a bit of a head scratcher as to what is so great about motor scooters as to build a band around them . . . but for Malossi, it works.

The rock these guys bring to the table is more high octane than the subject matter. Malossi delivers the goods with a mixture of straight-up heavy rock and what most of us call stoner rock. As I listen, it becomes more apparent than ever that the lines between metal and stoner are pretty dim. If not for all the genre-happy bullshit we tend to throw around, this record would fit nicely into the big family of heavy rock. Folks need their bins to sort their music in, though, and if I had to choose I would say Malossi definitely fits in the stoner box. The big difference between them and a lot of bands is that they actually write good songs and play them well. They aren't tuning down and trying to bludgeon anyone to death, they are just riding a fat groove with rich vocals and crafting songs that will make you bounce your leg and bang your head. So whether it is a pedal-to-the-metal rocker, or a spacier psyche piece, Malossi is doing it right.

So in two years we have 2 EPs and 8 songs. Some label needs to get these guys to do a proper album; I'd like to hear what they can come up with given the means to stretch out a bit. Hopefully they can ride their shtick long enough to make that happen. I can't see them lasting if they remain one-dimensional, but the strength of their music does a good job of compensating for the corner they are in the process of painting themselves into.

Visit the Malossi website at www.malossi.cc

Kevin

Well done, Chris. I've got two EP demos from these (Harley) knuckleheads, and they're just as you describe: stoner, pfat, n' groove-ee. Good stuff that I discovered on the strength of recommendations from my pals over in the desert rock forum.

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Now wait a minute, I can't change attitudes!

Chris

I love when Chris La Tray reviews stuff. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does the sun rises and birds sing.