THE VILES

THE VILES – SELF TITLED

This record is a bit of an oldie, it would have come out around 1999 – 2001.  I found it whilst on a holiday in about 2001, doing the rounds of record shops. It was one of those records that “spoke” to me, and the cover kind of sucked me in; I was enticed by the band’s name, and I got the distinct impression it would deliver the sleazy gutter punk that it promised.

This record was one of the ones that that lured me into obeying “The Urge”. “The Urge” occurs when perhaps I’ve already bought too many records recently, and an internal debate ensues as to whether I should actually buy more, particularly if I don’t know too much about the band, and it could be a bit of a gamble. There have been times I’ve been in a shop with an arm full of records already, deliberating whether to get just one more. If I decide I really want it, I now obey “The Urge”, irrespective of the financial ramifications – without being unable to eat, of course. I have disobeyed the urge on several occasions, and it’s just eaten away at me until I either go back to the shop and get it, or ring them up and get them to post it to me. Usually I’ve come up trumps, and it’s still there, or it gets sent out. Sometimes, just once or twice, I’ve missed it, and the feeling of “the one that got away” haunts me for a while, until the next chase. If it’s on my want list, or it’s a “score” of course, I’ll just get it without hesitation.

I didn’t know anything about The Viles prior to getting this record, and I couldn’t find any info on the band on the net or anywhere else after I got it, which only added to the mystique. Only recently did I find out the band was from Portland Oregon, and had a pedigree of sorts, most of the members having been in reasonably well known local bands prior to the Viles, and, apparently one of the guitarists was also a porn star. Fairly well known at the time, The Viles are now long defunct. Raspy, whiskey soaked vocalist Genny Genocide went on to front another Portland outfit, The Nightmares, plying a similar trade in seedy punk and roll.

Sometimes reminding me of a filthier, nastier, and more souped up Runaways (even though they’re only two fifths female), The Viles have their own sound and have taken all their influences, thrown them in a blender, chugged  them down, and vomited them back up to make room for a bottle of whiskey. They’re racing on the same hot-rod track as say the Lunachicks or the Loudmouths were. There’s punk attitude with bar-room sleaze, mixed with Cramps or Misfits styled horror shlock.”Hellbound” sets the tone (you can find this one on youtube). It’s pretty much flat out four-to-the- floor until the end of side one with “Buried Alive” which slows thing up a bit and starts out with a fuzzed out bass intro. It’s back to business on side two with “No Action” (ain’t gettin’ any), and then “Slave bomb Baby” (not gettin’ enough) and finishes appropriately with “Crash & Burn”

This is great scuzzed out punk, and I still pull it out every now and then for a spin. The guitars are at the forefront, the drums pound, the bass hammers, and Genny’s vocals keep shredding. Great cover to boot, Genny herself on the cover in erm, full throttle, and the rest of the band in blurry images behind her. The back has the band sitting on and around a couple of cars, after dark. Good sound, nice and full, not too weak or thin, or washed out as can sometimes be the case. Probably available on CD if you trawl the net, but long deleted I’d say.

I was negotiating a swap with another collector once, and they nominated this record for the one I wanted. The swap didn’t eventuate.