Review
Red Hot Rebellion
Self Titled

Independent (2012) Scott Wilkinson

Red Hot Rebellion – Self Titled cover artwork
Red Hot Rebellion – Self Titled — Independent, 2012

Red Hot Rebellion are a band that was destined to be. Formed as the result of a want ad placed on Craigslist, they are now part of the music scene in Dayton, Ohio that has been strong for years now. As they say in their bio, they were “formed with a singular goal: to rebel against the watered-down excuse for Rock of the status quo.”

From the first cut off the album, “Wait And See,” to the last, “Two Fisting,” this three-piece band pumps out a sound loud enough to grab your attention and kick you in the ass at the same time. Lyrically punk, but musically a blend of classic rock and guitar-driven blues, they crank out what they lovingly refer to as “the soundtrack to a bar fight.”

The aforementioned lead-in song “Wait And See” tells the story that everyone with a job can relate to. An overbearing boss in a seemingly nowhere job and the building frustrations that end with the refrain, “If you think I won’t explode/ Just wait and see.” Another classic line, “It’s better to die behind a guitar, than die behind a gun,” from the song “For The Benefit Of Evil” proves their love for rock and roll, the guitar in this song is what old school classic rock is all about.

I think what impresses me most about the band’s lyrics is that they aren’t afraid to say what you wish you had the balls to: from the song “Devil’s Rope” you get “My back is sore from you riding on it every day.” Who hasn’t wanted to say that at least once in their lives?

Tunes like “Wild One,” “Cooking With Gas,” and “Two Fisting” stay true to the punk/classic rock feel and flat out rock. The entire album is a rock and roll feast, with every emotion from breakups to I-hate-my-boss, my-job-tinged-with-fury, and in-your-face-onslaught.

I was also impressed with the package deal they are marketing where they offer the cd\red vinyl LP\T-shirt\Comic book. The comic, written by bassist Jim Tramontana and artwork done by Peter Wonsowski works quite well and puts each song on the album into a common story line.

Red Hot Rebellion – Self Titled cover artwork
Red Hot Rebellion – Self Titled — Independent, 2012

Related features

Red Hot Rebellion

Interviews • April 11, 2012

Related news

New EP from Red Hot Rebellion

Posted in Bands on June 4, 2013

New High On Fire Mp3

Posted in MP3s on December 29, 2004

Recently-posted album reviews

Six Going on Seven

Human Tears
Spartan Records (2026)

Late 90s post hardcore and emo feels impossible to recreate now. That’s not because the sound itself is gone, but because the tension behind it was so specific to that era. Six Going on Seven’s Human Tears, their first full length in roughly twenty-four years, captures that feeling perfectly. Having a wonderful history by having done a split with Hot … Read more

The Bug Club

Every Single Muscle
Sub Pop (2026)

  I got kind of obsessed with reviewing this record after I heard the first single “Watching The Omnibus” which they released digitally earlier this year. I could probably just write a whole thing about how hard it was to get an advance download of it for review, but I try to keep my reviews positive so I will steer clear … Read more

The Cascadian Divide

To the Sky
Independent (2026)

The Cascadian Divide is a Washington state based melodic skate punk band that formed during the infamous COVID lockdown. Although it started as an experiment, it soon became a passion project for the band members. The band has seen its share of line up changes over the years, but the commitment to maintaining the sound and integrity of the band … Read more