Maximum Splendid

Rapscallion

Delightful Recordings, 2021

http://rapscallionband.com

REVIEW BY: Duke Egbert

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 09/15/2021

In the Beginning There Was Hip-Hop, and It Was Good.

And then the Great Professor Elemental and Others did Create Chap-Hop, a Commingling of Victorian Society, Steampunk, and Hip-Hop. And, Despite the Weirdness Of The Whole Matter, It Was Also Good.

And Then, In Time, the Wise Moog (who Directed Several of The Good Professor’s Videos, Which Are Pretty Damn Funny) Did Think Unto Themselves, ‘What if We Mingled Swagger Rock – KISS, Queen, Guns & Roses, AC/DC, That Sort of Thing – With Chap-Hop’?my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

And Thus Was Rapscallion Born. And It Was Damned Good.

It would be easy to discount Rapscallion’s Maximum Splendid as a joke – and the gods know, sometimes it is pretty damn funny.

But much like their chap-hop comrade Professor Elemental, Rapscallion should be taken as both a source for occasional giggles and a musical act with serious chops. On their debut album, Rapscallion proves that they have the ability to channel multiple styles of “swagger rock”; pretty much every major hard rock act of the last thirty years is style-checked here somewhere, and it’s all pulled off with skill, elegance, and a certain panache. To use a Victorian superlative, these lads (I assume they’re all lads; if one of them is a lady of grace and discretion, please do forgive me) are the “prime article.”

At various times, they come up with a magnificent party anthem with “(You’re Bloody Well Getting) Rock And Roll Tonight”; an cock-rock special laced with calling cards and bone china tea set innuendo (“Call on You”); crunchy deep-fried Sabbath-style rock (“Queen Of Treats”); and the stereotypical rock opera long-form saga (“Night Of The Giant Killer Crabs”). They sing paeans to tea, moustaches, horses, and being a right villain (“Blaggard,” with the best lyrics on the CD). And, as appropriate, they end it with a heartfelt eight-minute ballad that only bloviates slightly. As a bonus, their videos are hilarious (all three of which are available on their website).

Far from being a joke or a one-trick pony, Maximum Splendid is a skilled and loving tribute to Victorian society, steampunk, and the kind of rock and roll that makes you want to drive a Trans Am and drink cheap beer. Well done, lads. Well done.

Rating: A

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


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