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When I think of Rhino Bucket I picture a hot sweaty smoke filled bar, with a bunch of rowdies smashing bar stools and breaking bottles over each other’s heads with the band is onstage banging out their three chord brand of working man rock ‘n roll while all hell is breaking loose in front of them. To picture them anywhere else would not only take away from the band but the music they have been perfecting for the past 19 or so years. Three years after their last release “And Then It Got Ugly” , Georg Dolivo – Vox/Guitar,  Reeve Downes – Bass/Vox, Brian “Damage” Forsythe – Guitar,  and the returning Simon Wright - Drums are back in business with their new release “the Hardest Town”. Much like their idols AC/DC Georg and the guys live by the “If It Ain’t Broke Don’t Fix It” rule and I personally wouldn’t have it any other way. The hardest thing about “the Hardest Town” is actually turning it off because once you get started listening to it you will not want to stop.

The title track starts us off and right away I can tell a difference in the drumming expertise and power Simon Wright brings back to the band and the music. Reeve Downes works the bottom end of his bass like a dog on a bone with solid thumping lines from beginning to end. Georg’s whiskey and cigarette soaked voice is music to my ears and sounds better than ever. “Damage” is also solid throughout and pulls off a nice solo. “Justified” doesn’t have a big anthemic chorus but you will find yourself singing along and tapping your foot nonetheless the more I listen to this song the more I think it is going to be a classic Bucket song much like “One Night Stand” and “Beat To Death Like A Dog”. “Know My Name” is another song with classic written all over it a full throttle rocker with a great chorus. Wright and Downes shine once again as they are completely in sync with one another. “Dog Don’t Bite” and “No One Here” both have a great AC/DC feel to it more so than usual for Rhino Bucket.  If I was forced to pick a favorite song off of “the Hardest Town” then “Street To Street” would be my choice another full throttle rocker with a great foot tapping crank the stereo groove. Forsythe pulls off his best solo on this song also. “Take Me Down” has a cool ZZ Top meets AC/DC vibe to it that makes me think the guys could have been sitting out on a porch somewhere when this tune was recorded. “She’s With Me” would run a very close second to being my favorite song with “Street To Street” great groove and playing by the band as a whole on this track.

After 20 years of making kick ass music “the Hardest Town” may be the album that gets Rhino Bucket the mainstream recognition they definitely deserve, a absolutely great album from beginning to end with at least 4 songs that should be come classics.  You can check out Rhino Bucket at www.rhinobucket.com or www.myspace.com/rhinobucketmusic. In addition to other retailers you can also pick up “the Hardest Town” directly from Acetate Records by going to www.acetate.com/bands/rhinobucket/index.html, it is also available from Amazon Downloads and I-Tunes.

Rating: Out 0f 10

Track Listing:

1.  The Hardest Town
2.  Justified
3.  Know My Name
4.  Dog Don’t Bite
5.  No One Here
6.  Street To Street
7.  Take Me Down
8.  She’s With Me
9.  You’re Gone
10. To Be Mine
11. Slip Away (Bonus Track)

Rhino Bucket is:

Georg Dolivo – Vocals/Rhythm Guitar
Brian “Damage” Forsythe- Lead Guitar/Vocals
Reeve Downes – Bass/Vocals
Simon Wright – Drums