BPMD – American Made

Long before random musicians were jamming their favorite cover tunes through video conferencing, BPMD were born. The idea for the group was spawned by Metal Allegiance songwriter and producer Mark Menghi’s 8 year old son. While they were sitting around the fire listening to old 70s rock tunes, Lynyrd Skynyd’s “Saturday Night Special began to play. Menghi thought out loud, “Man I would love to play that song.” His young son said to him, “You should do a whole record of all these songs, Dad.”

From there Menghi began making some phone calls. Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth [Overkill], Mike Portnoy [Sons of Apollo, Winery Dogs], and Phil Demmel [Vio-Lence, Ex-Machine Head] didn’t need much convincing to get on board. The members of BPMD all traveled to Portnoy’s home studio in the summer of 2019 to lay down their debut album American Made. Each member got to pick two 70s rock classics that no one else in the band could refuse.

Ellsworth kicks off with a crazy Nugent-style rant at the beginning of “Wang Dang Sweet Poontang” which signals the start of the party. Portnoy’s drum work stands out as much as Bobby’s piercing vocals. Phil Demmel gives Joe Perry a run for the money during his lightning fast solo on “Toys in the Attic.” Portnoy once again stands out with rapid-fire skin striking. “Evil” plays it close to the original version by Cactus, but BPMD’s interpretation might just be better.

The bluesy-ness of “Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers” is completely stripped away and replaced with metal riffage. That deep base groove is still intact courtesy of Mark Menghi. “Saturday Night Special” is the track that got BPMD into motion. It’s filled with lots of energy and everyone gets their chance to shine on the track. The jam session in the middle is worth the price of admission. While “D.O.A.” is a heavier homage to Van Halen, that classic riff gets a little buried in the mix.

If you’ve ever thought that “Walk Away” by The James Gang was a little slow and boring, then BPMD have got you covered. Everything is cranked up to eleven on their version. If you feel like you’ve got a fever, Portnoy brings the cow bell on Mountain’s “Never in My Life.” Demmel’s freestyle licks are a great addition to the song. While BPMD’s version of “We’re An American Band” isn’t bad, I think most rock fans would agree this song has been covered to death.

BPMD aren’t re-inventing the wheel with American Made, but they sure are spinning it harder and faster.

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Tracklist

1. Wang Dang Sweet Poontang (Ted Nugent)
2. Toys In The Attic (Aerosmith)
3. Evil (Cactus)
4. Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers (ZZ Top)
5. Saturday Night Special (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
6. Tattoo Vampire (Blue Oyster Cult)
7. D.O.A. (Van Halen)
8. Walk Away (The James Gang)
9. Never In My Life (Mountain)
10. We’re An American Band (Grand Funk Railroad)