The band is Garrett Shavlik, formerly of The Fluid and Spell, Erik Roper, formerly of Cold Crank, and Marcus Piņa, formerly of Anodyne and PLG. Garrett and Erik met around 1992, when Garrett still played drums in the Fluid and before he played in Spell. Cold Crank, which Erik was in, played a few shows with Spell, and the pair moved to Seattle in 1996. They started playing together a couple of years later, and eventually added Marcus, Erik's long-time friend who had previously lived in London. As a new group, they have shared the stage with the likes of Mudhoney, Love Battery, The Catheters, Russell Simmons, and Mike Watt, among others. After first getting together, they recorded a four-song demo, which earned them radio airplay in Seattle and a deal with Glazed Records, resulting in this, their first full-length, We As In Us.

These guys make a hell of a lot of noise for a trio. The album opens with the heavy guitar riff of the title track, which is unrelenting and grabs your attention right from the start. "Last Call" and "Crown Yourself" follow as slower numbers, focusing on the guitar, with pounding riffs and an ear-grabbing solo in the excellent "Crown Yourself." "Slip" kicks things into high gear again, evoking images of long-haired guys in flannel shirts banging their heads in a dingy club. "Moving Target" is a little less exciting, but before you even have time to think about it, "Modern Day Greyhound" and "Goodbye, Honey" come roaring through, two thrashing punk/rock hybrids. "Down" slows things down a bit with a lovely, slightly psychedelic sound to it that shows the band has some dynamic to them. "8" builds around a throbbing bassline and swirling guitars, preparing you for the closing combination of "Icepick" and "Valentine House," which bleed into each other and sound like they were meant to be that way. "Icepick" is built around screeching guitar and a crushing rhythm, and it features spoken word verses that proclaim, "What is love? It kind of hits you like an icepick." "Valentine House" is a slower, but equally compelling finish, with a slight complexity that puts the band's musicianship on display.

There aren't any gimmicks here, just drums, bass, guitar and vocals. No fancy effects, no guest stars, just a trio of guys who sound great together and managed to create an excellent debut. It may sound lame, but they just flat out rock. If they had been around in this form back when Seattle was all the rage, I have the feeling they could have been big, sounding on this release almost as good as earlier Soundgarden or Mudhoney. It all makes me wish I had heard of them earlier, but grateful that I now have. - Eddie


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