To fully understand and appreciate the
BANDOLIER KINGS’ “Welcome To The Zoom Club (A Tribute to BUDGIE),” one must first understand the seminal and legendary Welsh Heavy Metal innovators
BUDGIE. Formed in Cardiff, Wales in 1967, and productive in the metal industry (although through several lineup changes) until 2010,
BUDGIE has been called “The Heaviest Band of their Time.” They
were innovative, blending their heavy roots with elements of Progressive and Funk music, and have influenced and been covered by countless acts; most notably
METALLICA, when they recorded
“Crash Course In Brain Surgery” on the
Garage Days Revisited EP. Lead vocalist and bassist
Burke Shelley has been compared, for good reason, to
RUSH’S Geddy Lee, and could well have been a harbinger of his vocal style.
BANDOLIER KINGS is the love child of
OVERDRIVE and
MERRIWEATHER STARK’S Janne Stark and
Grooveyard exec
Joe Romagnola, both huge fans of the Welsh rockers.
Janne, along with
TOTO and
Paul Gilbert collaborator
Tony Spinner, and an absolute Murderer’s Row of special guest musicians, have assembled an hour and seventeen minute tribute to some of
BUDGIE’S finest. As a matter of fact, two vets of the band, drummer
Steve Williams and guitarist
Tony Bourge, make appearances.
Ian Haugland of
EUROPE and
Peter Hermansson of
220 VOLT are also onboard.
Opening the album with the rocker
“Breadfan (Rocking Man),” the band wastes little time. The opening, iconic guitar riffs from the original are done sweet justice, and the song resonates with every bit of the same raw energy as the original. These guys have not just tried to parrot (pun
MAY be intended)
BUDGIE, but to add their own feel and exceptional abilities to the content. The song has an infectious and heavy groove from start to finish.
“Crash Course In Brain Surgery” follows, and is more faithful to the original than
METALLICA’s bombastic cover.
Janne and
Tony show a lot of overdue respect to
Burke Shelley’s vision, not only with this song, but later, as well. When you hear the beautiful acoustic guitar work that opens “
Napoleon Bona Part 1 & 2,” the influence is undeniable… When the song crescendos into the heavy anthem that it is, the love these musicians display for the band’s work is amazing.
This record never feels like a retread. There is enough originality in the presentation to keep any feel of staleness at bay, and the material speaks for itself. There is not one sour moment I have heard. When taken as a stand-alone project,
“Welcome To The Zoom Club (A Tribute to BUDGIE)” still shines. When taken as the heartfelt tribute that it is, to a criminally underrated band, it stands tall. Thanks to them for it.
Songwriting: 10
Musicianship: 10
Memorability: 10
Production: 10