By Metal Dave The Stretwalkin’ Cheetahs didn’t enter my life with a warm smile and friendly handshake. No sir, they brick-bashed my ears and chainsawed my face in an ambush of chaos and decibels. Of course, I’m eternally grateful. As best I can recall, the year was 1999 and I somehow dragged my quivering corpse…
In 2006, I was fairly certain I could sooner have a beer with Bigfoot than land an interview with Tool. While the band dropped its mysterious shroud for international music publications like Rolling Stone and SPIN, it was rare for the guys to speak to every daily newspaper along the latest tour route. That grip of secrecy loosened a bit over time, but in 2006 — after multiple attempts — I still considered it a victory to finally score some Tool time.
From the machine-gun riff of “Sonic Reducer” through the rest of the Dead Boys’ savage punk rock, Cheetah Chrome’s raw guitar power is every bit as vicious as those other strummers in the Clash, Ramones, Sex Pistols and Stooges.