Four mates living together in the same Dunedin flat, Hot Donnas are back with another blistering round of swelteringly good punk-rock bangers.
Their latest release is their self-titled EP crammed with four songs that gallop along with non-stop riffs, groove and intensity."These songs all stemmed from our normal procedure of starting with a guitar riff and fleshing it out from there," band member Mitch Sizemore says.
"It has helped that we all moved into the same flat at the start of this year and were able to get home from work and jam without a fuss.
"It meant that we were able to get a lot of practice in and have the songs 100 per cent ready to go before we made the trip up to Auckland to record."
Continuing the theme of slammin' riffs, the band share a few of their favourites; turn the volume to 11 and raise the horns.
Lamb Of God - Walk With Me In Hell
This song is just amazing riffs after amazing riffs. The start of the song kicks you straight in the head without warning. The halftime drum beat is a great juxtaposition to the quick guitar part that Mark Morton (lead guitarist) plays.Willie Adler (rhythm guitar) holds it down, strumming these monstrous chords in the background. If you love metal and haven't heard this song before, I highly recommend you check it out.
Rush - Limelight
There isn't too much that needs to be explained when it comes to Rush. These guys are the original rock legends and have influenced many bands.This is one of, if not the most iconic Rush riffs of all time. This riff even makes a feature on the movie 'I Love You Man'. I recommend watching if you haven't already; a great watch, but maybe not appropriate for all audiences.
Meshuggah - Straws Pulled At Random
This song is a favourite among the band and this ending riff is something special. This riff is a clever mix of beauty and brutality and is certainly number one when it comes to groove.Who doesn't love an eight-string guitar and polyrhythms in action?
Pearl Jam - Even Flow
This riff has been air-guitar'd at many of our parties in the dirty south of NZ. Stone Gossard is the master behind this song and we believe the groove is stemmed from the guitar riff. It has a lot of energy and is irresistibly catchy. When paired with the '90s vocal king Eddie Vedder, the two gel together to create an amazing verse.
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - Hymn For A Droid
We couldn't leave an Aussie band off this list considering the quality music that's getting pumped out over the ditch. First saw these guys at a smallish stage at Laneway and have never turned back.These guys are what we like to call 'riff lords'; can't wait to get over and see these guys live in their own territory.
