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Now that's the stuff. Upon first listen, this reminded me a bit of Chrome Division, but darker, heavier, faster and definitely less shiny. Really the comparisons stop at the very garage-style rock 'n' roll vibe, for Maax is really more of a blackened Heavy/Thrash affair with an old school vibe. And they're not into pretty wankering either: This is fast-paced metal with an all-hell-breaks-loose, take-no-prisoners approach. These guys are just hammering away at their instrument which gives this EP one hell of a chaotic feel, further amplified by a muddy, reverberating sound that reminds me a bit of a live performance with a not-so-great sound system. And you know what? It works. Six Pack Witchcraft is a load of fun to listen to, and its messy sound makes you feel like you're at some show at a local bar, getting drunk with some friends.

Six Pack Witchcraft is catchy all around with old school Heavy/Thrash riffage that throws you back 25-30 years, when garage bands roamed turntables all over. This might be Black/Thrash in essence, but with track names like "Die By The Ax", "Fire in the Hole", "Go Fuck Yourself", "Six Pack Witchcraft" and "Bastards", it's obvious that this is all about having fun. Think of Motörhead, Venom, and a bit of German black thrashing madness all blended together in an underground NWOBHM-style "DIY" approach to their playing. The vocals are somewhat clean for the most part, though they occasionally get harsher and much harder to decipher (and the aforementioned muddy sound doesn't help with that.) Maybe they'd reach a wider audience with a cleaner vocal style, but that would most likely take away some of this EP's charm. I haven't heard their debut album Dawnbringer, but let's hope that they've got another album in the works. If it's anything like this, I'll be ordering it in a New York minute.