International sensation detriot7 returns with their second release off of the American-based Daruma Label and it offers what all the traditional headbangers want: a group of tried-and-true, honest-to-goodness, garage/hard rock songs. Listeners will know right off the bat whether this band is right for them or not, and, while it might seem a little bland for some, those that come to drink the detriot7 juice will probably be pleased with the results.

Getting its material from detroit7′s relatively recent full-length album “Black & White”, which is only directly available in Japan, the similarly titled “Black & White EP” takes five songs from that album and manages to throw them together in a way that works. Starting off with the track “Why?”, the album immediately hits you over the head with an intense Nirvana-esque tune that features the fast-driving drums of Miyoko Yamaguchi (山口美代子).

The album quickly moves into the much more approachable tune of “COLD HEAT”. While still managing to highlight the band’s long-staying addiction to heavily distorted screaming guitar riffs, the tune manages to make the quirky and unique vocals of the equally quirky vocalist/guitarist Tomomi Nabana (菜花知美) quite catchy. Bassist Nobuaki Kotajima (古田島伸明) also manages to turn in a strong performance for this song.

The aptly-named “Stooges” and “DDD” mellows the sound out a bit, but shows the band’s attempt to harken back to the olden days of rock and pay tribute to their favorite bands. The final track “Owaranai Uta” (“Endless Song”) is a final and appropriate send-off as a nod towards the highly influential Japanese punk band THE BLUE HEARTS.

In a previous SparkPlugged article, it was said that detroit7 isn’t for everyone. For the most part, this is still true. However, while this release still panders to that very specific garage rock audience, it does demonstrate the band moving forward and refining their sound, if only to draw more people from that particular niche.

detroit7′s American release of “Black & White EP” is scheduled to be released on iTunes on October 27th.

Here is the PV of “COLD HEAT”:

More samples from the album and info about the band can be found on detroit7′s Daruma Label page. They also have an official website and an official MySpace that can be visited.