With a barrage of body blows, Henry Rollins’ vocal pugilism returns to the recording studio for the hard rock of Get Some Go Again. More true to his past image of a tattooed, thick-necked, testosterone-oozing, ass-kicker than his motivational speaker and publisher personae, Rollins’ latest effort returns to the thick guitars and punchy yells for which his band is best known.
With winks to hard rock’s past and conventions, Rollins flirts with clichés he ordinarily would mock. But how much of a knowing nudge is he delivering to our sides? While treading a thin line between self-parody and the hackneyed, he actually yells, "Are you ready to rock?" over top of guitar harmonies that would make Bill and Ted proud.
Occasionally dipping into southern blues-rock influences, the Rollins Band mainly sticks to its crunchy, tooth-chipping rock. With an appearance by Wayne Kramer of MC5 for a final jam, Get Some Go Again delivers the contusions we were once used to receiving from Rollins, as well as a couple of bruised ribs from those pokes in the side.