Chopper - Born To Ride...Or Die

Label: Darkwolf

Year: 2008

This was an Atlanta band that came, saw, conquered, and then vanished. They ceased to be a band in around 2009, and the members scattered to other projects, so I hope they don't mind the record being posted after the fact. If they do, I will gladly take it down.

The last band I played in shared the stage with Chopper at our first show, and honestly I was skeptical when the band was described to me as; "a dude from Deerhunter playing biker metal". Huh? those words didn't make sense in that order.

Turns out though, they were all correct. There was a dude in the band (three to be exact), more specifically, there was a specific dude in the band that had been in Deerhunter (there was also one from Blame Game). Secondly, they actually did play "biker metal", or better yet, "biker rock". As in motorcycle, not bicycle. Think Unsane meets Motorhead meets Danzig. There's the staccato throbbing of noise rock, some lurching hardcore, some bombastic rock-n-roll, and a touch of bluesy heavy metal. All great things, don't you agree?

I wanted to post this record because as a fan I don't think their music got too far outside the Atlanta city limits, and that's a shame because it's great shit. Gnarly, pounding, gritty shit (not literally of course...although I did have Mexican for lunch...). Chopper ruled really hard for a couple years and then decided to do something else, and you can't blame 'em for that. But I can blame you for not trying this record out, it's right down there. Go get it!

Check here for the record label run by Chopper drummer LaMar George which has Chopper merch for sale and new music from Wolves and Jackals, Lamar's current band.

DL