“Jet Generation”

By: Pamela Torres

After two decades of blood, sweat and tears, Guitar Wolf has proven to be one of the best and loudest unadulterated punk bands. Formed in Nagasaki, Japan in the year 1987, the original line-up consisted of guitarist and bad boy frontman Seiji, bomber bassist Billy, and drum demolisher Narita (much later on he would leave the group and have his spot taken over by U.G.). Although the group has unleashed a total of 9 studio albums (the very first being 1993’s “Wolf Rock,” a vinyl LP that was cheaply recorded in Seiji’s basement), the one I chose to talk about in this review is none other than “Jet Generation.” Not only is this 13-track audio fireball a must-have for disenchanted adolescents, but having it purchased is a nice way to pay tribute to Billy (AKA Hideaki Sekiguchi), who tragically died of heart failure in the spring of 2005.

Launched like a rocket missile in 1999 by Matador Records, “Jet Generation” is without a doubt THE QUINTESSENTIAL PUNK ALBUM! Imagine taking some 2-minute, 3-chord, leather jacket youth anthems by the Ramones and jolting them with about 10,000 volts of electricity! Forget language barriers! A furious velocity rush from beginning to end, “Jet Generation” is a rock and roll feedback attack with enough dynamite decibels to blow up your speakers and smash your car windshield! If that’s not all, several of the songs are now part of the explosive rockabilly soundtrack of “Wild Zero,” a cult horror film with UFOs and brain-eating zombies. There’s even a live concert scene in the movie where Guitar Wolf performs “Roaring Blood” as flames shoot out from Seiji’s microphone!