Painted Doll “How To Draw Fire” cover art
If I told you that one of the best psych-rock, power pop albums – check that, one of the best ALBUMS period you’re going to hear this year, is an unlikely collaboration by a comedian and a death metal musician you might think I was pulling your leg.
Well get ready to be surprised because How To Draw Fire is the second collaboration between comedian/musician Dave Hill ( Cobra Verde, The Goddamn Dave Hill Show) and Death Metal musician Chris Reifert (Autopsy, Abscess) and it’s really, really good.
The two met at the 2015 Housecore Horror and Film Festival in San Antonio, TX where they bonded at a Goblin concert and started jamming together, the jamming quickly turned into songs that turned into their excellent 2018 self-titled release. Their new release How To Draw Fire comes just two years later, and it delivers big time, offering up 12 tracks packed with face melting psychedelics, huge power pop melodies and gigantic riffs. No sophomore slump for these guys, not even close.
Painted Doll; press photo
Opening track “In The Sea” sets high standards for the entire repertoire with its arpeggiated guitar intro played against some rain and thunder effects and then BAM it slams into a power chord shuffle, fuzzed out guitar melodies and thundering drums – all mixed old school in WIDE STEREO just the way it should be. The catchy chorus is icing on the cake and right from the get-go you know you’re in for a winning ticket with this record.
Over the course of the album Painted Doll mix things up nicely from track to track, adding acoustic guitars, psychedelic rock and straight up pop into the mix so the whole time you’re listening it always sounds fresh and engaging. Song writing is top notch as well making How To Draw Fire a hidden gem deserving of wider exposure and a work that holds up to repeated listens.