There are two words capable of describing The Evil Queens better than any other, "rock" and "roll". A glance at the rear cover of First It Boils, Then It Spills reveals a sketch of a hand reminiscent of the cover art that graced The Murder City Devils' Thelema. Take into account that both bands have/had a penchant for blood and I may have just been lucky enough to find out about the Midwestern version of one of my favorite bands that no longer exist.

The Evil Queens attack their music with a level of ferocity rarely captures successfully on disc. Fortunately for the Columbus, OH quartet, Jon Chinn's work recording and mastering First It Boils, Then It Spills conveys the energy of a bloodthirsty band as good as any other. The guitars of Mike Eckhardt and Jacob Sundermeyer maintain a crisp overdriven sound that suggests a bit of Queens of the Stone Age as the hooky riffs carefully balance alongside the rhythmic assault of drummer George Hondroulis and bassist Eric Hinterscheid.

Just as the references to disembodied hands, eagles, and blood is far from original material for hard-rocking bands, The Evil Queens don’t present anything too innovative with the tracks on First It Boils, Then It Spills. What they do offer, however, is something many bands attempt to accomplish but rarely do – rock and roll for the sake of rock and roll. While many bands may conjure bloody imagery, only those like The Evil Queens that pour their own into the music can create something so pure.