The Henchmen: Lust for Glory
By Jacob Conner
On this retrospective compilation from Raw Power Records The Henchmen look like The D4 of 20 years ago, four surly young men in denim. Sonically the studio tracks hold up well, dirty slabs of stolid three-chord rock served with re-hash browns from a greasy spoon in Detroit. Singer Tony Goth parades his Iggy mannerisms to full effect, diluting the all-essential attitude factor by degrees. For all the obvious influences though, this still has the grit and smell of the real thing. Thundering rhythm and shrieking guitar bypass any critical analysis by pulverising the brain to mush. While being close to a tribute band, the Henchmen wield their own raw power and on Death Machine and Bitch Goddess threaten to discover a unique voice, although they still namecheck MC5. The last half is a gig recorded in '83 and although thinner in sound still provides a secondhand lobotomy.
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