credit: Kelsey Wagner
by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Not everything needs to be so serious all the time. Sometimes we all need to have fun. Sometimes we all need to shred. This is the essence of Ben Katzman's DeGreaser, a band that eschews worldly concerns in favor of the pursuit for blazing riffs and keeping it gnarly. We Bled To Shred, the band's upcoming EP is due out June 30th via Katzman's own BUFU Records (Tall Juan, Veiny Hands, The Lentils), a hilarious and rather ingenious concept album about DIY rock being threatened by an evil musical machine called the Bloggernaut (and there's a comic book too). It's a story that rings out louder by the day, but I'll save that conversation for another time. The band are taking some well deserved jabs but doing so in the name of having fun and doing what they love. It's a pure sentiment that is reflected in their tongue-in-cheek humor and dedication to well, old school shredding.
We Bled To Shred is homegrown speed metal, the type of stoned worship that comes from a lifetime of watching Detroit Rock City and an official membership in the KISS Army. "Arrival" is a call back to the band's many influences, the majestic shredding of Judas Priest and Van Halen, and maybe even a touch of Iron Maiden (hell, I'm no expert on these matters), and it rips from start to finish with roving basement punk intensity. Katzman's DeGreaser are bringing back the shred, one explosive dueling guitar solo at a time, tearing through "Arrival" from start to finish as they burn a path of fun-loving destruction in their wake. We're trying to do out part against the evils of the Bloggernaut, but let Ben Katzman's DeGreaser do the rest.