Nitro 17 hails from Berlin with an excellent mix of garage, punk, ska & of course psychobilly. For this second album the band compiled no more then 12 tunes full of energy filled with all the influences they came across during their years of touring with different outfits!  From Spo-Dee-O-Dee (Ralph Summers, Upright Bass) over Nikki Sudden (Stephane Doucerainz, Drums) and Desperado five (Jo Fisher) towards Mad Sin (Tex Morton) the foursome really know what they are doing to get the kicks out of each show!  On CD the band is as least as interesting as on stage and their “On To The Other Side “ will certainly end up in one of my 2008 end of the year lists!

Opener “Soft Like Velvet” immediately set the tone for the rest of the album!  A little bit of everything combined in a new jacket with remarkable well accessible hooks and licks and you have an idea what I’m talking about!  Their influences are surely big! From sixties Garage over motion pictures towards Punk Rock, rockabilly and Jamaican ska! It all comes pretty well together on their newest effort! “Couldn’t Care less” is another one to point your ears at but the real first change comes with “Sexoine”.  Both raw and harsh at times, the tune is soft and tender at other moments! Although still full of a great rocking guitar sound, the band does not need to hide behind a wall of sound to create an packed and interesting sound. Together with a military type of drum pattern, this is without doubt one of the better tunes of the album.
Another great tune is of course “Lost Rider”.  Here you can hear more of the afore mentioned Punkrock/ska influences. “I will dispraise” goes fishing into the well of today’s punk rock while one “Daylights Turn to night” even some vaudeville influences show up! On “Hot Beads of sweat” the band once more checks out the Jamaican lifestyle and comes with nice ska tune and even introduces an old fashioned organ only to end in beauty with a cover version of the Smiths’ Panic!

Onto the Other Side is not only the newest effort of Nitro 17 it is also a remarkable great album that I  really enjoy!  Their blend of styles fits wonder well onto this recording bringing us a coherent album with no real heights or lows, but a constant interesting sound! Be sure to check them out!

Mr. Blue Boogie