It is always tough to review a live album from a band you are unfamiliar with. Such releases are usually a more intimate experience designed for true fans who know the songs inside out. Such is the case with me and MOTORJESUS' new live album "Live Resurrection." Before this promo came across my desk, I have never even heard the German band's name before much less their music. Apparently these hard rock/metal ragers have been around a good while-they have released four full lengths and an EP.

As with any band I review that I'm not familiar with, I do research to see what I'm about to get myself into. I won't lie-MOTORJESUS made me nervous. In addition to their name giving me pause, I discovered they have albums with titles like "Wheels of Purgatory," and "Race To Resurrection," that contain songs called "Motor Discipline" and "Speedway Sanctuary." I swallowed hard. Oh god, I thought. Is this going to be another southern friend Metal band with bland discount left over PANTERA riffs and tough guy lyrics about being bad to the bone and loving beer?

Well, color me humble and help me remove the foot from my mouth. Although their image and lyrics still make me want to cringe, this band, and album, is actually rather badass. Their songs are high octane energy that just never stops. If you took the sounds of explosions and turned them into songs-MOTORJESUS would be the result. Honestly, they remind me somewhat of a heavier version of CLUTCH. They don't sound like them but They have that same badass confident rock and roll feel. But the live aspect of the album is nearly dead-the production is way too clear for a live album.  I'm not sure if the crowd isn't familiar with the band or if most of their participation was removed, but the energy from the fans is quiet and almost non existent.  The two-fisted punch of too slick production and crowd apathy doesn't do much to present a concert feel-remove what little crowd participation there is, this album could easily pass for a studio adventure.

Still, the crowd must be a bunch of zombies because I can't imagine not having a good time a this show-the band's hard rock groove is infectious and every song is extremely catchy.  Is there a lot of depth to this music?  Will you discover something new every time you listen to it?  No is the answer to these questions but I also don't think the band is trying to be anything but themselves as they obviously have a good time. The show opens with "Tales From The Wrecking Ball," that might be short on lyrical prowess but the music speaks for itself.  This song is a great concert opener-it hits fast, hard, and that chorus was stuck in my head for days.

One of the highlights was "Fist of the Dragon," a song filled with groovy riffs for days.  I can imagine fans just going nuts during this song-everything from the vocal rhythm to the song's groove is made for pure destruction. The band doesn't seem to tire at all-even the deep cuts have that same exuberant energy displayed at the show's beginning. "The Howling," is a sped up NWOBHM style song with a modern twist that seems designed to work a crowd . The last two songs, "Motorjesus," and "Dirty Pounding Gasoline" (what?) are corny but I'll be damned if they didn't rock the balls off every guy in the crowd. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by this band.  Their groovy style of metal influenced hard rock is so hard to screw up but MOTORJESUS is one of the few I've heard that nail the sound down for the most part.