Fight Amp's MySpace description is dead-on: "Grunge / Punk / Metal." This New Jersey band harkens back to a time when these genres were bedmates. Before recording Bleach, Nirvana listened to Celtic Frost incessantly. This was before Butch Vig polished off their edges, before Marc Jacobs had a "grunge" collection. In the late-1980s/early-90s, Amphetamine Reptile belched forth West Coast grit (the Melvins, Steel Pole Bath Tub), East Coast noise (Helmet, Unsane), and Midwest dirt (the Cows, Hammerhead); Touch and Go-- pre-indie rock days-- likewise issued filth and difficulty via Big Black, Butthole Surfers, and the Jesus Lizard. Though sonically disparate, these bands shared a contemptuous disregard for rock's playbook.
Thus, Fight Amp aren't revelatory: They're drawing on established models of rebellion rather than drawing their own, but they're no less potent for it. In fact, hindsight has honed their influences with fearsome focus. Guitarists Mike McGinnis and Rebecca Burchette slice out riffs with metallic accuracy. In the liner notes, Jon Dehart slings a duct-taped P-Bass; the black-and-white photo could have come from a Sub Pop sleeve. But unlike his forebears, Dehart can play his instrument. Scott Hissem's precise pounding opens big holes, into which Dehart pours throbbing pulses. The overall effect recalls the Jesus Lizard, who had one of the most punishing rhythm sections of the 90s.
The payoff, then, is different. Instead of the white-knuckle anarchy of AmRep 7"'s, Hungry for Nothing is a calculated beatdown. Even the band's name reflects this. As Fight Amputation, the band raggedly sprawled with hardcore punk influences. But as a leaner Fight Amp, they've slowed down, making each punch count. "Late Bloomer" punctuates verses with pregnant pauses, building to churning climaxes. Air raid unisons then announce the return of Black Sabbath. "Dead Is Dead" rides train tracks of chugging riffs, as Hissem drops hi-hat accents like elbows. In "Get High and Fuck", low end snarls the titular mission, while drones descend like distant warplanes. Scarred-throat howls erupt from the next room. The hollow-eyed filth of early-00s Ministry comes to mind.
Peers like Akimbo, Black Elk, and Blues mine similar inspirations, but Fight Amp stand out with metallic atmosphere. "What a Drag" drowns in sheets of doomy desperation. "Bound and Hagged" gives Jesus Lizard dissonance Danzig-esque brawn. Three-fourths through, it slouches into a shuffle, which is really a ruse; after a tense pause, hammering re-commences. Danzig glowers throughout, in the song title "Samhain", the horror comic book artwork, and the lyrical altitude set at six feet under. This is no mere garage punk; this is a finely tuned assault with booming, modern production. It's not "dope, guns, and fucking in the streets," but it's pretty fucking dope.
