Star and Dagger, In My Blood (Last Hurrah Records)

Star and Dagger, In My Blood (Last Hurrah Records)

As much fun as Rock City Morgue is, there are times when I’ve wanted to hear former White Zombie bassist Sean Yseult play something with more sonic weight. Her new project, Star and Dagger, is that heavier band based on the three songs released on the limited edition vinyl EP, In My Blood. She teams with Donna She Wolf from Cycle Sluts from Hell and Marcy von Hesseling for fuzz-drenched hard rock, and the riffs are as relentless as they are engaging. The title track is metal hard, while “Stories” is more of a wash of cymbals and chugging fuzz behind von Hesseling, who sings like she has many secrets.

Lyrically and sonically, In My Blood conveys an air of seductive, psychedelic danger without articulating anything too clearly. Over an album’s length, that might make the words seem like nothing but words—not the worst problem in rock ‘n’ roll—but by not committing too much to a persona here, Star and Dagger is an intriguing proposition.