Mitra on purevolume™

Metal / Rock / Punk

Rock And Roll was never supposed to be polite, polished, watered down or delivered without destructive primal urge. This is not only a fact that all four members of Mitra understand to the fullest, it's also the driving force behind why the Dallas-based foursome exist in the first place. One writer has already said that the band are "about as subtle as a spiked bat to the ballsack", and now with the release of All Gods Kill' Mitra's swing is set to strike.
After giving new meaning to the phrase "scorched earth policy" and touring the world in the notorious Speedealer for several years both guitarist Eric Schmidt and drummer Harden Harrison (also of the recently regrouped Rigor Mortis) hardly found themselves at a loss for hammering out full throttle high-octane tuneage with a Texas-bred "kick out the jams" attitude. Soon Kurt Grayson (ex-frontman for Billyclub and Rock N' Roll Disciples) and bassist Mark Ehr (Pumpn Ethyl) would enter the picture and a snarling new beast would be spawned. Named after one of Harrison's more interesting pets, the quartet quickly established themselves relying more on an explosive live show than their past reputations in previous bands. A four track demo would emerge while Mitra continued to storm stages locally and regionally with the likes of Mastodon and The Sword. Collectively long-schooled in the ways of the working musician, Mitra's relentless activity since forming in early 2004 wound up yielding interest from D/FW indie Idol Records and ultimately a slew of daytime/nighttime showcases at this year's South By Southwest convention.
With such strong momentum behind them Mitra has wasted little time in unleashing it's debut for Idol. Produced by D. Braxton Henry (A Dozen Furies, Jacknife, Dryline), All Gods Kill' revels in Southern swagger and whiskey-soaked sting. As feverish as a long Summer night in the Lone Star State the twelve-song disc seethes with a greasy, gritty menace. From the brassknuckle shuffle of opening track "Dead 2 Rights" straight through to the pummeling anthems like "Things R About 2 Get Ugly", "Warhorse", "Will Kill 4 Free" and "Grudge" command anyone within earshot to raise a fist and scream along. Even songtitles like "Violence Is Golden" and "Let Em Bleed" alone tell you Mitra mean business. Grayson drives that point home even further often turning his husky bellows into blood-boiling binges of rage before the band slams the breaks on the bludgeon. Seldom does the Ehr/Harrison rhythm section provide anything but a piston-firing foundation and whether he's ripping out muscle-bound blues licks or charging, combustible riffsurge Schmidt's has quite a trademark style of playing.
Remember when Lemmy said if Motorhead moved next door your lawn would die? Well Mitra plan on doing damage to more than just your front yard when they roll up in the neighborhood.