Surely one of the most unsung bands in the history of American hard rock music, Bang released no less than three full-length albums for Capitol in the early 70s that criminally sank without trace. Undoubtedly the heaviest of America`s proto-metal bands from the period, they also had a strong sense of melodic power, which really should have led them to much bigger things. Often cited as being the closest band America had to Black Sabbath in the early 70s, there is much more to Bang than being mere copyists.
Bang was a psychedelic hard rock act who came out of Florida in about 1970 with a sound that owed everything to the loudest bands of the day, specifically Blue Cheer, Jimi Hendrix and Vanilla Fudge. Much has been made of their Black Sabbath influences but, all these years later, it’s obvious that the West Coast vibe of The Doors and the unpredictable songwriting of the early Pink Floyd and the Beatles were just as crucial to the evolution of Bang’s sound.
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