Lecherous Gaze

Toward the end of its near-decade run, the old-school, skatepunk–inspired band Annihilation Time leaned harder on heavy rock. Its last album, Tales of the Ancient Age, tipped the scales even more toward the longhaired boogie of Thin Lizzy and Mahogany Rush. But when singer Jimmy Rose quit in 2009, members Graham Clise (guitar), Chris Grande (bass), and Noel Sullivan (drums) asked their longtime friend Lakis Panagiotopulos to sing for a new project that would take them further into the realm of rock ‘n’ roll. Lecherous Gaze was born. Its debut EP reveals a band well suited for playing weighty bell-bottomed boogie. “Phaze” opens like bikers crashing a '70s house party in full swing, as the rhythm explodes and Lakis croons like a cross between Phil Lynott and Joey Ramone over barbed riffs. Fans of Drunk Horse’s hard-chooglin’ take on early ZZ Top might dig “Sold,” while the slower-burning “Graveyard” has Lakis singing like Samhain-era Danzig. Clise worships at the altar of ‘70s Hendrix followers such as Robin Trower and Frank Marino on the closing “R ‘n’ R Lust.”