Chip DiMonick is led by Chip himself on lead vocals, keyboards and guitar, Joe Pietropaolo on bass, DJ Carothers on Lead guitar and Gregg Livengood on drums. The heavy metal outfit has been a staple of the Pittsburgh music scene since 2005 with their debut release, Bat an Eyelash. Three albums later and a Chip DiMonick side project, Chip DiMonick the band are set to release Uncaged. The EP is part metal, punk, and straight up, kick ass rock and roll.
The title track “Uncaged,” opens the album with a heavy explosion of shredding guitars and pounding drums as DiMonick screams, “everybody breakout.” The song finishes up with a growling “you can’t hold us down,” before a sick guitar solo. “You Ain’t Punk,” is in complete contrast of “Uncaged,” but might be the stand out track on this one. The heavily influenced punk song calls out all “posers” who think they are punk. “You ain’t punk, you ain’t punk, I bet you never saw The Misfits once.” Making The Misfits the quintessential barometer for how punk you are. This song was written in response to being named best punk band in Pittsburgh by Iron City Rocks. Many people arguing the band is not punk at all.
“That’s How Much I Hate You,” starts with a Pantera-esqe guitar intro. Chip DiMonick warns to watch out for the quiet unassuming guy or you might just see a darker side. “Lightning Bolt” is a ballad showing a softer side to Chip DiMonick. When you touched my heart, I saw a spark, my body felt a jolt, like a lightning bolt.
“Hand Grenade,” gets back to the band’s heavier ways with another hard rocking melodic tune. This is a headbanger for sure, with DiMonick’s hypnotizing vocals. Who would have thought a metal song could be inspirational. Chip Dimonick closes out with the motivational tune “Dig Deep,” where the band encourages to dig deeper, push harder, don’t quit and stick it to the non-believers.
Chip DiMonick has no fear to experiment, running through multiple genres on this compilation. Chip DiMonick is a band that gets it. Heavy sound, killer guitar riffs and a singable chorus. Maybe those qualities are what have kept this band relevant for so long. You can get a copy of the new album at Chip DiMonick’s album release show, Friday, April 10 at Hard Rock Café. Save some money and get tickets for $7, directly from the band. Email them at chip@chipdimonick.com
Official video for We Ain’t Punk
