Satanic Togas

Reviews

Satanic Togas Illusions / 1998 7″

This is the latest and greatest from song factory Ishka Edmeades, also of GEE TEE and TEE VEE REPAIRMANN fame. Edmeades doesn’t break the mold here, but comes packing with two tracks of snappy, hook-laden punk that satisfies your sweet tooth. The tape-saturated sound bolsters these two bangers and makes them sizzle and pop. The riffs are there, hyperactive but dialed-in, with great licks laid on top to seal the deal. If you know what you’re in for, you’re still in for a treat. And if you’re not hip to this sound yet—dive in.

Satanic Togas Digital World EP

I imagine SATANIC TOGAS would be a ton of fun to see live. What’s not to love about fast, garage-y punk and vocals that sound like they are coming out of a drive-thru loudspeaker? This Aussie band delivers four tracks of unhinged melodies and meandering bass lines, leaving you to think everything is going to spin out of control. They are kind of like MR. CLIT AND THE PINK CIGARETTES with an accent and wackier vocal effects. Good party jams.

Satanic Togas / Zoids split EP

SATANIC TOGAS charge through this split with all the grit, dirt, and swag. The Sydney three-piece has the sound and feel of dusty, bluesy garage, all while being screamed through a telephone. I get PUSSY GALORE by way of Detroit. Great stuff from what I would expect of a Goodbye Boozy band, both songs carry the weight in under three minutes of ripping.   ZOIDS are a tough one to nail down, I can’t find any info on them for the life of me. On the split, they start where SATANIC TOGAS left off, but without any solid footing. There is nothing in their two songs that sync up, and at times I feel like I am listening through the walls of two different bands’ rehearsals. Rough.

Satanic Togas X-Ray Vision LP

More NWI-worship from Down Under! This is the first proper LP from this Sydney project after a handful of cassettes and a split 7″ with GEE TEE. The group seems to be led by the same dude behind Warttman Inc., a cassette label that’s released stuff from like-minded Australian artists RESEARCH REACTOR CORPORATION, R.M.F.C., SET-TOP BOX, and the aforementioned GEE TEE. The TOGAS stand out from that crowd (and their NWI forebears) by leaning a little more heavily on some ultra-cheap synths and really letting their garage influence show. This album is full of good tracks, but definitely give “Skinhead” a listen. Not only does it showcase how they’re not just another CONEHEADS clone (it’s got kind of a WRECKLESS ERIC vibe, even), but it’s just so dumb and so great.