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BENSON BURNER
(Jetset)
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England may not look like a hotbed of heavy metal from these shores, but Ten Benson are proof that muscular, old-school hard rock is alive and well across the Pond. With four British releases under their belt, they’re making their US debut with Benson Burner, and it comes on strong with a confident mix of burly AC/DC riff rock and swampy ZZ Top blooze boogie. Thick, serpentine guitars wind their way through "Dark Forces," a song that gives singer/guitarist Chris Teckkam a chance to flex his vocal muscles and relate his twisted world view (he worked for a time in a mental hospital and was, it’s clear, inspired by some of his experiences there). As the title suggests, "Tits" celebrates the kind of heavy-metal excesses that went out of style in the PC alterna-punk ’90s, but with a wry sense of humor that’s as potent as the wiry guitar leads and Andy Zammit’s splattering drum bursts. There’s also a hint of glam in "Nobody’s Wife," which swaggers like a classic T. Rex number, proving that Benson Burner have a refreshingly broad view of heavy metal.
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