And the extra effort has paid off. Their music has a hard rock, garage band kind of feel, but without the mushy distorted sound that so many bands of the genre have. So for anyone who wants to step into a time when rock music had yet to meet irony, humor and subtlety, the Kick Ass Martians are guaranteed to take you there. For the rest of us, this is probably one band to skip. Wocalist Albert Thorne is still chief technologist and Cock McConnell continues to handle the guitars, but drummer Michael Lacy and bassist Tim Wallace are post-CD additions.
Lyrics describe the ritualistic landscapes suggested in the music.
Hard Pop is straightforward. If you like Thrill Kill Cult, you are in danger of becoming a Kick Ass Martians fan. Sure the music lacks subtelty, but this is a good CD and many of the simple riffs include moments of brilliantly arranged variations that provide the listener with well timed breathers. If someone offers you a CD for free, you might wonder if it is worth the effort to order it. He continues to pursue his industrial roots with rhythmically hypnotic synth and distorted vocals reminiscent of Trent Reznor and never stops delivering the punches.