Review: Pistol Whip - "Terminal"
Like many of the artists on Smog Veil’s roster, Pistol Whip emerged in the burgeoning American underground of the 1970s with a style that bridged the gap between protopunk and punk rock. Claiming the title of Erie, Pennsylvania’s first punk band, Pistol Whip’s tumultuous existence is chronicled on this CD+DVD combo, from their initial run of releases in 1977 and 1978 to their subsequent reunions in 1988 and 2009. Though probably fairly jarring to Middle America by early 1970s standards, Pistol Whip’s brand of speed-inspired rock 'n’ roll seems like fairly standard fare in 2009. Like a less catchy, though more technically-versed version of the Ramones, Pistol Whip blasts through 12 songs in 33 minutes on the CD portion of the release. The first two songs comprise the band’s sole 7-inch (whose original two-track master tapes were miraculously unearthed in August of 2009), and serve as a proper sampling of what Pistol Whip was capable of, from the swirling electric organ of “Heart Thr...