Joining Hampton in this endeavor are bassist Paul Ill and drummer David “Chilli” Moreno; collectively representing a musical resume that includes Alice Cooper, Lita Ford, Bootsy Collins, Buckethead, Reeves Gabrels, Bruce Dickinson, Puddle of Mudd, Courtney Love, Pink and more. To take this further, several songs also include the 6 string wizardry of the legendary Adrian Belew. With such pedigree, the Czars have taken years of hard earned chops & gone completely on safari with it. From driving intros that plummet headlong into squealing guitars & down-tuned harmonies (“Brush With The Devil”), to soul-laden fuzz tones (“Desperate”), echoing Pop riffs & Latin stylings (“Only Dreaming”) and even a few bizarre instrumentals thrown in for good measure (my favs being “Funky Detour” & the amusingly named “Crotch Critters”).

Clocking in at well over an hour (16 tracks), the musicianship & artistry being captured on this disc are undeniable. But honestly, this is probably too avantgarde for me – and I’m not a fan of Greg Hampton’s vocal style. This is definitely recommended however for the listener who appreciates the craftsmanship of Zappa or Beck while still insisting on the sophistication of a modern recording act.

Gentlemen, I give you The New Czars.

The first single “Love Is Dead” (which is handily linked below for your viewing enjoyment) is catchy yet gritty,  repetitious as hell which only serves to drive the melody home much like Enuff Z’ Nuff did with ‘New Thing’ back in the 80′s (that one STILL rings through my head at 3am sometimes).

Beyond that, the entire disc is infectiously well written, rocking out in places like “Cocaine Chest Pains” yet just as easily sliding into softer pieces (“Floridian” or “Bigger Than Us All”) without the band removing their ball sacs in the process.  Fairly diverse in execution, “White Collar Lies” shows Kopek to be a band that doesn’t fit neatly into any record store category.  If you must give them a label, ‘Modern Rock’ is probably the most accurate.  An opening slot for Pearl Jam seems inevitable, at least to me.

Vocalist/guitarist Daniel Jordan has a bluesy, almost gravely quality to his voice that hints at the 10 years of roadwork this band has logged to date.  Alongside bassist Brad Kinsella & drummer Shane Cooney, the threesome have honed their chops winning a myriad of battle of the band contests & playing the usual roadhouse night shifts  – all leading up to their delivery of this most impressive debut effort.  While not metal as is typically written about on these pages,  I’ve literally had this CD in my car for about 3 weeks straight.  To be honest, I’ve found the intricacy & depth of each song requires multiple listenings to fully appreciate.

Each song of this album could stand alone as a single if necessary; there is no ‘filler piece’ to round out the playing time of the disc.  In fact, I find the track listing to be almost backwards as my favorite tunes are near the end (where a lesser band would bury a godawful cover of something by The Smiths and be done with it).  Songs like the very Indie-ish “The Easy Way (D.B. Cooper)”, the surprisingly bluesy “Sub Human” or the minimalist “Sin City” which being dead last on the disc, is amazingly subtle . . . and haunts the mind like a new found memory (and excellently showcases Jordan’s range).

So check out the vid below with one word of caution; what you will see is but a single facet of a larger, and incredibly more complex, diamond in the rough.  I look forward to seeing this one shine all on it’s own.

First off, this band is old-school all the way; no slick marketing gimmicks, no glossy pamphlets with scantily clad women (aw, damn it!).  This disc is a plain ole’ CDR burned by hand from the guys who recorded it. Reminds me of the tape trading days of the 80′s. Not fancy, but shows that you’re dealing with musicians, not salesman. Fair enough.

The disc in question is comprised of 7 tracks, no playlist. I was able to piece together most titles from their Myspace page for all but 2 tracks; 4) is possibly called Captain Corruption and 6) well, you got me there.

The intro piece (aptly called ‘My Guitar’) sets the tone for the entire release; VERY Hendrix-like, but raw,  bluesy and feeling like a genuine 60′s vibe. I have a collection of Hendrix bootlegs and studio outtakes – this CD could easily fit amongst them. And like those rarities, this doesn’t quite have the sound of a mainstream Hendrix release, but it is most definitely in the same vein.

My favorite track is probably ‘I’m Tired of Being Your Fool’, which you can hear for yourself on Dexter’s Myspace page. Unlike most of the other songs, this one is all Stevie Ray. Damn good drinkin’ music, too. Also really liked ‘Blues (booze) in my head’ and ”Hold My Head Up”.

In fact, the whole disc is good down-to-earth, roughly produced, sweaty Blues-ified rock n’ roll. My only concern is that like their live performances, the sound is so very much Jimi it will be difficult for them to be appreciated on their own terms. Which honestly, they deserve to be.

So pour yourself a drink, take a listen on Myspace and see what you think. Maybe even catch them live if you happen to be in Columbus, Ohio -  I guarantee you won’t regret it.  But don’t hold your breath waiting for them to email bomb your inbox selling t-shirts or adding you on Twitter so you’ll know every time they take a crap.

These are musicians, folks.  Real ones.  Even in 2010, Old-school lives.   And thank God for that!