Demons Alley - Dead End Tricks

Review from Worcester Telegram & Gazette by Victor D. Infante 11/15/2012: "Blow 'Em Away," by Demons Alley: Time to shake it up with some old-school rock? Demons Alley - which performs Nov. 16 at the Lucky Dog Music Hall, plays down-and-dirty sleaze rock with an edge of danger and a healthy dose of panache. This is a bar-brawl of a song, fast and lascivious, with a gritty bass line that can have you grooving. All in all, a perfect way to shake out the blues after a long week. ****************************************************** Review from The Pulse magazine by Alex Kantarelis June 2012: Worcester's Demons Alley have been spreading their style of 80s influenced rock 'n' roll all around the Northeast since their inception in 2006. Combining elements of bands like Kiss, Motley Crue, and the New York Dolls (with a dash of Ramones ~ and even The Runaways! ~ from time to time) to form their classic but yet still heavy sound, these guys put on one hell of a stage show ~ and has captured that energy on their first full length release, Dead End Tricks. All you have to do is take a look at the back cover of the CD ~ a picture of the long-haired, eyeliner-loving band hanging at Ralph's ~ to know what you're in for; the photo captures a grittiness that in many ways defines the band's sound. Things kick off with the high energy and catchy track "Dope City," which has an intro reminiscent of KISS's "Love Gun." As the tracks keep rolling, the rock never stops as each song is crafted to keep the energy up at a rock club ~ or in your car. Track 9, "In My Sight," has a punk rock vibe, and sounds like something The Misfits would definitely approve of, and opens up the door for a stand out track, "Dirty Girl," which has my favorite opening riff on the album. Sometimes a riff can speak louder than a chorus, and "Dirty Girl" nails one of those riffs. The songs have a certain catchiness and very appealing rawness that sounds authentic, not over-produced in a studio. Demons Alley have a natural sound, not 600 layers of auto-tuned vocals with electronic dance squealy noises (you know what I'm talking about). I give the album credit for actually sounding like it came from 1984 ~ kind of as if we'd stepped into Marty McFly's time machine and set course back to when rock n rock was real...a little sleazy, a little rough, a little in-your-face, and absolutely addictive. Demons Alley would be right at home opening for Aerosmith at Sir Morgan's Cove back in the day or playing a club in the East Village, so we should all be glad that we have a real rock band like DA right in our own backyards. Head to [their website], catch the band live at Ralph's on June 23rd [148 Grove Street Worcester, MA 01609 (508) 753-9543], and definitely pick up a copy of Dead End Tricks. ****************************************************** Review from The Noise magazine by George Dow 5/30/2012: This sleaze-rock release from Worcester's Demons Alley is, I think, exactly what you would hope for from this genre-a dash of Kiss, a pinch of Aerosmith, and a generous portion of Guns 'N Roses. If these references are your cup of tea then prepare to jump out of your leopard-print pants and toss your panties on stage-Dead End Tricks is exactly what you've been waiting for. Though there's nothing remotely original about what Demons Alley is doing, you'll be thrilled to hear this strip club music played by guys who aren't gearing up to collect social security. While Steven Tyler is moonlighting on American Idol, and since Axl Rose can't get out of his own ego long enough to make music, I guess it's good to see that there's a new generation coming up behind, proudly flying the cock-rock flag. ****************************************************** Review from Veglam webzine By Laurent 2012-05-11: This is the first album of this band from Worcester, Massachussetts though they've been playing since 2006 (they released a 3 song EP in 2007), and have been touring a lot (mostly in Northeast U.S.) DEMONS ALLEY like glam rock, punk rock'n'roll and sleaze rock so they can only fit on our website, right? Although the very beginning of opening song 'Dope City' sounds more like 70s British hard rock (an influence you'll also find in 'Loaded Gun'), the band quickly gets back on their track with rock'n'roll guitars, anthemic choruses and they're going straight ahead! Songs like 'Teenage Tragedy', 'In My Sight', 'GirlGang' make me think of an interesting mix of VELVET REVOLVER and The THROBS while you'll find a bit of HANOÏ ROCKS in 'Blow 'Em Away' and 'Better Off Blonde.' DEMONS ALLEY also know how to make you sing along, just listen to 'Boulevard Red'! You probably don't need more evidence that these guys do have good taste, do you? So check them out on CD Baby, iTunes or wherever you can.... I'll keep an eye on them for sure, especially since I'm sure that their next releases will even be better./Laurent. ****************************************************** Review from therockpit (4/5 Stars 'Great') By Mark Diggins: Sometimes you hear something as gloriously unadorned as 'Dead End Tricks' that sounds like it was found in the gutter somewhere in 1974 and then found again, a little worse for wear, in 1984. There's the spirit within these grooves of some of the best punk-glam from New York Dolls to The Dead Boys to Hanoi and the Ramones and that to be honest excites me for one... Hey before we start is that a cigarette, lighter, ashtray, switchblade and rosary on the cover along with a glass of whiskey? You bet it is - and that is what you get aurally when you give this a spin - a bit of what's bad for you (but that you know you'll love) with a helluva kick on the side. So pucker up and see if you can hold on for the full 13 tracks. 'Dope City' that opens this one is not the best song sonically you will hear all year, I mean it's gloriously sloppy, and sounds like it was scooped together in the way the New York Dolls used to sound (and that takes some doing). It's got that indefinable feel that makes it such a treat to stumble over - I love it. And if that's the opening shot this is worth your attention... To cut to the chase I love this one, and with each play I get more from it. Songs like 'Teenage Tragedy'; GirlGang'; which is wonderfully funny deliver in spades and the closing three 'Better off Blonde'; 'Boulevard Red' and 'Porn Star' are all a cut above the competition. The rest are not far behind. Demon's Alley seems to have that crazy knack of writing a hook that's a little different and shouldn't really work, but does. And they certainly know how to write a good song channeling a little of the vibe of early Gunners along the way. There are even a few surprises that stray away from the New York cool sleaze: 'Loaded Gun' sticks out like a sire thumb and is almost pure metal, it's almost like the guys are saying 'sure we can do that too'. And to be honest even though it sounds so different from most of the rest of the songs here it's up there with my favourites. On the basis of what I hear on 'Dead End Tricks' I expect to hear a lot more from these guys in the future. So if your love your music to sound like it should - raw and rocking with a focus on today and not a care for the future or the past Demon's Alley could well be a band to put on your must see list - and in truth I can only imagine what this must sound like live. ****************************************************** Recorded at Side Two Studio, Boston, MA Engineered and mixed by Ryan Abbott Produced by Demons Alley Mastering by Clinton S Lurvey at Clintone Music Demons Alley logo by Sean Pierce Cover photo by Dave Meyer Back photo by Janee Carroll/ Orbit the Well Photography P & © 2012 Demons Alley (BMI). Warning: All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws. Demons Alley is: Pink: Lead Vocals, Guitar 'Dead Man' Dave Meyer: Lead Guitar, Vocals Nico Youngblood; Bass Guitar, Vocals Matti 'Mayhem' Johnson: Drums, Vocals.