If you are into the skateboarding scene chances are you know who Mike V is.  He is easily one of the most unique skateboarders out there not so much because of the way he skates, but because of the way he spreads his love for the sport.  Mike V may have his heart attached to his skateboard, but he also shares his passion for what fuels him on a day to day basis, rock n' roll. 

This however really is not about just skateboarding…

Enter Revolution Mother, a rock n' roll band fronted by the intimidating Mike V alongside Jason Hampton who were previously together in Mike V’s first band, Mike V and the Rats.  Joining the two are bassist Colin Buis and drummer Brendan Murphy, both of Twilight Transmission a post-hardcore act.  Combined the foursome recorded Glory Bound  together, making sure it was a little different from previous creations and full of rock n' roll.  The CD was released on Cement Shoes Records.

In spite of what many of you may think about a professional skateboarder trading his board for the microphone, Mike V delivers. His voice perfectly aligns with the heavier sounding rock the rest of the band lashes out. Honestly I did not think he had it in him. But as soon as the first song started I knew I was in for something good.

Opening full force is “Come On” with Mike V just about shattering his vocal chords over the Clutch-like sounding guitars. At times I almost mistook Mike V’s laugh for Henry Rollins during the track, it is just so evil sounding.  “Above The Crawl” continues the weighted rock sounds with Mike V belting out hardcore-like vocals with straight up rock n' roll.

Mike V calms down a little on “Bullet,” with him singing more than screaming but the rock keeps flowing. Again his voice reminds me a lot of Rollins, and the same can be said for the singing on "Burning From Inside." Both songs sound great and remind me a lot of nineties rock acts that surfaced once the grunge scene dissolved.

Covering Black Sabbath’s “Hole In The Sky” was no problem for Revolution Mother as they kept the song heavy and solid throughout. “Who Am I” whispered its way though, making for a sluggish track that was nonetheless interesting with the spoken word feel to it.

It is easy for me to say fans of Guns n Roses and Clutch would get a kick out of this album, as it is just rock n' roll from start to finish.  I also think fans of punk and hardcore who are open to experimenting with listening to new things would value this release as you can hear hints of both genres throughout.  It’s like skate-rock meets motorcycle bad-ass music for everyone.

Glory Bound is a full out rock attack geared towards all types of music lovers. Mike V and crew put together a really great effort on this CD and I have to admit I was not expecting it.  Look for the foursome this summer performing live at the Van’s Warped Tour 2008 and witness them for yourself. This band is going places.