Backwash - 'Kick Ass!'
                                                                                                                                                                Released through Perris Records in 2006
THE BAND:
Bob Spring - vocals
Volli - lead guitar
Notter - rhythm guitar
Toby -bass
***there is a fifth member but his name is not listed***



TRACK FRAGMENTS:
1.) "Legless" -This track opens with Notter playing a very simple seventies influenced rock 'n' roll guitar riff.  Over the top of the main musical kick-in section Volli plays a few lead guitar licks.  These licks are used to set the verse arrangement apart from the intro section.  The rhythm guitar riffs underneath the vocal lines of the verse are arranged in a very simple rock 'n' roll fashion.  In fact, the entire musical arrangement underneath the verse has a very simple feel to it.  There is a very small lead guitar lick that leads into the chorus.  The main body of vocal lines of the chorus is mainly a repeat of the title over and over.  Which, for this type of arrangement works very nicely.  Outside of the fact that there is a small musical rest right before the vocal lines of the second verse the musical arrangement repeats itself.  In true standard rock 'n' roll form there was a breakdown section after the second chorus.  This breakdown section consisted of a tom-tom pattern, bass line and spoken vocal line.  With the way this song sounded I found it a little odd that there wasn't a lead guitar solo.  But on an occasion you will run into a song were you do not even notice there isn't a solo until after the song is over.  An this track was one of those songs to me!    
2.) "My Good & Bad" -This track opens with the drummer playing a very simple hi-hat and bass drum pattern underneath a bass line.  Over the top of this Notter plays a very simple whole-note chord riff.  There is a very simple Volli pick slide that connects the intro to the verse.  The drummer constantly changes the bass drum pattern after each bar of music under the vocal lines of the verse.  If I am not mistaken, he changes the bass drum pattern three different times before repeating  the same bass drum pattern.  In all the recorded music I have heard over the years I do not believe I have ever heard a drum pattern be written in such a way.  Volli plays a very simple minor lead guitar solo to connect the first verse to the first chorus.  At times Bob's vocal accents have a Phil Lewis of L.A. Guns feel to them.  This is really noticeable on the second verse.  Underneath breakdown, which is after the second chorus, Volli plays a minor lead guitar solo instead of a standard guitar rhythm.  This minor solo leads to the first major guitar solo on the release.  
3.) "No Gun No Fun" -The intro to this track consisted of both guitarists playing two different rhythms.  The cool thing about this intro was the studio trick the band used were the rhythm guitar is coming out of the left speaker and the lead guitar is coming out of the right.  The main instrumentation underneath the vocal lines of the verse is bass and drums.  The way the guys arranged the verse causes the song to build with anticipation.  The chorus was arranged in a very simple fashion.  The breakdown section that leads into the guitar solo consisted of a very cool tom-tom drum pattern.  All in all this song has one hell of a solid groove!!!   
4.) "No More Favours" - This track opens with a sixteenth-note hi-hat pattern underneath a wicked bass line.  The bass line Toby wrote for this track was influenced from the seventies disco era.  That's right kiddies I said disco era!  Toby keeps the same bass line throughout the entire arrangement giving the song a solid groove.  After hearing the bass line anyone can see why the use it as the main focus of the song.  Out of the four tracks so far this is probably my favorite.  Most of the guitar tracks were recorded with the wah-wah effect. 
5.) "Bomb Fire" -The pre-musical intro to this track opens with a very laid back rhythm guitar riff.  For the main musical intro section the song continues it's laid back feel.  At the opening vocal line of the verse there is a small rhythm guitar change.  There is a small musical rest leading into the second verse this rest was placed there to change the dynamics of the chorus.  The rhythm guitar riffs have a very solid groove to them.  For the lead guitar solo, which was actually more of a minor solo than major was done using the wah-wah effect.   
6.) "Tell My Line" -The outro of track five leads into this track.  The only way to tell that this was a different song was the rhythm guitar change of the intro.  The rhythm and lead guitar of this track were recorded sing two different guitar rhythms.  There is a rhythm guitar change at the opening vocal line of the verse.  This rhythm guitar change was heavily influenced by Malcolm & Angus Young of AC/DC. After the chorus there was a small one to two bar drum pattern change.  Like a lot if not all of Angus Young solos the lead guitar solo of was song was done with a clean electric guitar effect.  
7.) "The Coast" -This track opens with a very simple almost Cheech & Chong influenced guitar arrangement.  Volli changes the rhythm guitar riff for the musical verse.  The lyrical verses and choruses run on into another on this track.  For the majority of the main musical rhythm the guitar and drums are playing the same patterns.  Like the arrangement itself the lead guitar solo was laced with eighties hard rock influences. 
8.) "She's Rock 'N' Roll" -The rhythm guitar that opens this track was influenced from seventies classic rock.  There is no rhythm guitar change for the verse.  For the chorus the band changes the bpm (beats per minute) which changes the dynamics of the song just a little.  There is a cheerleader background harmony underneath the lead vocal lines of the chorus.  Underneath the last chorus there not only is a minor lead guitar solo but also is the band incorporates a acoustic guitar arrangement which, I absolutely was not expecting.  
9.) "Feeling Like A Bitch" -This track opens with a very laid back seventies blues rock rhythm guitar arrangement.  The main rhythm guitar of this ballad was done by an acoustic guitar.  In the way Bob pulls off the vocal lines really intensifies the seventies rock sound.  The drum pattern of the verse was done with a woodblock.  Like most ballad the drummer switches for the woodblock to the snare for the chorus.  There is a lead guitar effect that connects the chorus to the next verse.  Vocally this is one of Bob's better vocal jobs on the CD.  Though the lead guitar solo was very cool, you can't help but think the arrangement was crying for a acoustic guitar solo.  After the lead guitar solo there was a rhythm guitar and main musical arrangement change.  The outro was done with just acoustic guitar and lead vocals.  This outro was recorded with the effect of sounding like it was being played on an old phonograph ( record player) which was a very cool effect for this type of arrangement. 
10.) "Crash" -The rhythm guitar of this intro section had a Angus Young of AC/DC feel to it.  The band used the same rhythm for the verse as the intro section.  The rhythm change for the song does not happen until the pre-chorus.  The chorus for this song is one of the most simplest I believe I have ever heard.  There is a small breakdown section that leads into the lead guitar solo.  In the way the band arranged the song as a whole gives the song a late seventies Helix feel.  
11.) "Head Trash"  -This track opens with a very short and simple seventies rock intro.  The main instrumentation underneath the verses was drums and bass.  There was a rhythm arrangement change for the chorus.  This was a very cool laid back track that I feel in love with very quick.     
12.) "Catfight" -The pre-intro to this track opens with a rhythm guitar riff.  The main musical intro section had a very heavy bass feel to it.  The musical arrangement underneath the verse was done using two different rhythm guitar arrangements.  At times the song had a very abstract feel to it.  All in all this was a very simple song that was very cool!

    Coined with such influences as Mötley Crüe, Guns 'N' Roses, and AC/DC, Backwash's freshman release titled, 'Kick Ass' is pure amazing.  Not to put AC/DC down because their a great band, especially the Bon Scott years, that found their niche on just using three chords.  The twelve tracks on 'Kick Ass' is AC/DC if Angus and Malcolm Young wrote songs outside of three chords!  This is by far one of the better freshman releases I have reviewed in the past couple of years.  If you are like me and wish AC/DC would do more musically then you should swallow the Backwash.  You will not be disappointed!