Jeffrey’s Jaws comes from Kirov, Russia, and brings us music fans some downright tasty jams. These songs are influenced by the band’s love of funk, blues, psychedelic, stoner, and Motown. Their debut self-titled album was released on May 6th, 2022. Hey, May 2022 was a long time ago – but who says we can’t review awesome older releases?
About Jeffrey’s Jaws
A few years ago, a trio of guys from a small Russian town heard some funk, blues, and Motown tracks, they were so inspired by this that they created a band named Jeffrey’s Jaws. They named their band after The Milwaukee Cannibal, Jeffrey Dahmer, a man whose jaws you wouldn’t ever want to be around, unlike this self-titled album, which you will want to have around as often as possible.
The Songs
J.J. kicks the album off with “Purple Son” and a groove-heavy riff that will have fans of Sleep and Black Sabbath rushing to turn up the volume knob. The song is a bit funky, thanks to the guitar parts, and we find the band transitioning in and out of these riffs with ease. I really dig the blues foundation this track is built upon, and it’s still there even when it’s not as apparent as it is on other sections of the track.
If you read the lyrics, you may find yourself thinking about their Dahmer references, as “Hot Head” reads as if it was written about Jeffrey’s attempts at turning his victims into living zombies.
The music is stoner blues, and the vocal performance gives it a darker edge than the first track, making me believe that my interpretation of the lyrics could be “dead” on, though I could be reading too much into the Dahmer connection.
“Nerland” gets right to business, bringing in a funky, blues-based feel. The guitar tone and playing brought Pearl Jam’s “Yellow Ledbetter” to mind, only with a punk, DIY type of sound.
The last track reminded me of Pearl Jam, but “Opium” brings in a Stevie Ray Vaughn influence. It’s a very bluesy tune that also incorporates some nice stoner leanings, and it is one of my favorites on the record.
“King of Diamonds” is the longest of the seven songs and retains the funky and bluesy influences while still bringing in the stoner ones. There has been a psychedelic undertone to this album, but I have felt it the most during this song’s guitar solo, which is an excellently performed lead break.
As “Can’t Show Your Love” got going, I heard some Red Hot Chili Peppers-styled guitar parts/playing. Unlike the love and light of that legendary act, the lyrics here are more about leaving a woman/person who is treating you badly, so much so that “I can’t show you love” becomes the defining line of this track. The music is like the rest of the album and is equally as good.
“Stoned” brings another grooved-out stoner riff after a brief drum intro, but this soon changes into a funky verse that doesn’t let up on the groove factor. Those verses are the most infectious ones in this record and match the riff perfectly despite being totally different. These two parts transition in and out of each other flawlessly and are the basis for the entire song.
Final Thoughts
Any band with the balls to publicly say that their band’s name comes from a vicious serial killer will get my attention, and with Jeffrey’s Jaws, that attention was well deserved. They utilize killer riffs and great songwriting from the beginning of this album to its very end, making for a brief but amazing ride!
Support Jeffery’s Jaws by finding them on Bandcamp or Instagram.
This review was written by Tom Hanno, who has been writing reviews for the last 7 years but has been sharing his love of music for the majority of his life. Originally starting out at the now-defunct Chimera Magazine, he is currently contributing to Doomed and Stoned, The Sleeping Shaman, The Doom Charts, Tom’s Reviews, and The Third Eye. Read more of Tom’s reviews by checking out his Linktree.
Parting words: “Audiences like their blues singers to be miserable.” – Janis Joplin
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