Born in 2005 by brothers Ryan and Wes Niemandt, KAMIKAZE TEST PILOTS are now out with "Stealing Chameleons," released independently. It would be an awkward and useless attempt trying to describe their genre, as these guys originally out of Zimbabwe can touch a wide range of styles and influences, acting sometimes with a heavier approach, sometimes with a lighter and more eclectic attitude.

"Betty Ford" opens the release with speed, catching listeners' attention with its hooky tune and groovy screamed vocals. "Weirded Beardo" is a more rock approach: once again Ryan Niemandt stick to the listener with its vocals, with some faint AUDIOSLAVE echoes in his voice. The song evolves in kinda of a gospel: the result is confusing but still pleasant and will be one of the tracks to stand out more. Still with his "Hallelujas" in our ears, we are pushed in the next titletrack "Stealing Chameleons", something more similar to the SOAD attitude of their first release. Nonsense seems to lead our three but that's in a good way: next track "Emigré" starts as some balcanic tune, something a là GOGOL BORDELLO, a happy tune only missing a Slavic accent: this goes on until 2 mins, where it takes a wild and trashy path, before the mentioned folky touch comes back again in the end; definitely something easier to hear than to explain but absolutely worth a listen.

"Crocophile" has a mesmerizing tune that will keep you hooked to this mad mix of wild drums, heavy riffs, harsh vocal spurts and melodic moments.  "The Blasphemer" stands on a thick riffage to shake the audience. After faster tracks like "Dawg" and "The Inmates Have Taken Over the Asylum", "Bering Strait" is once again a hooking track, another example of these guys' odd style with its funk veins. An emotional ending is left to closing track "For Frankie", a melodic track which shows off Ryan voice in an intimate and clearly heartfelt tune.

KAMIKAZE TEST PILOTS might appear smaller than they are, being a three piece: but their mind is vast and that is rendered well in this release. Its title Stealing Chameleons is more than appropriate in this case, as their chameleonic skills make them fit well in every genre they approach here: while jumping from genre to genre for a band is often a sign of not having a clear plan in mind, this is not the case as it works well both at macro and micro level, with each song internally balanced and perfectly juxtaposed to the other tracks' directions.