Some rock band names are basically plays on words:  the 1990’s alt-metal band Godsmack that was started in 1995 and this month’s Under Appreciated Rock Band, MÖTOCHRIST.  (The band names are adapted from “gobsmack” and “motocross”, respectively).  Sadly, I had more to say about rock and religion than I had appropriate UARB’s to talk about; I was sure that the Red Tyger Church would qualify, but there is an Wikipedia article on the band, though their “notability” has been questioned for the past five years.  (Note:  As of January 2017, the Wikipedia article on the Red Tyger Church has been deleted, so they have entered the realm of the future UARB’s). 

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Mötochrist was formed in 1998 in Los Angeles by Danny Nordahl (bass guitar and lead vocals) and Marc Diamond (lead guitar); other bandmembers include Ricky Vodka (guitar and backing vocals) and Chad Stewart (drums).  

Danny Nordahl, Marc Diamond and Chad Stewart each have Wikipedia articles actually, all mentioning Mötochrist; and all three have been in numerous rock bands over the years.  Danny Nordahl and Chad Stewart have been in several bands together; they were both members of the industrial rock band the Newlydeads, and they are or were also both in a Guns N’ Roses tribute band called the Hollywood Roses.  Danny Nordahl and Marc Diamond were both in the punk revival band NY Loose.  Danny Nordahl has been a member of the L.A. glam/metal band Faster Pussycat since 2001 and previously played with the Throbs and one incarnation of L. A. Guns. 

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Danny Nordahl also played with Stiv Bator and His Evil Boys, one of the last bands founded by the Dead Boys front man, Stiv Bators.  An album by this band called Live at the Limelight was released in Germany in 1988. 

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Marc Diamond was the lead guitarist for Dwarves for several years and was also in Texas Terri Bomb.  Diamond was previously in Mondo Generator that was founded by Queens of the Stone Age bass guitarist Nick Oliveri in 1997. 

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The two songs of theirs that I have appear on terrific hard rock/punk rock compilation albums by Dr. Wu Records:  “Motochrist” on Cadillac Compilation Vol. I (1998) and “We Came, We Saw, We Drank” on Dr. Wu Records Compilation Vol. 2-000 (2000).  Both Mötochrist songs are stomping punk rock classics, with suitably dark guitar pyrotechnics on what is basically their title song, and a welcome sense of fun on the latter song. 

The Cadillac Compilation closes with a slow, thoughtful song by Ricky Vodka and Gage called “Drunks Prayer”, where the “drunk” is praying that the devil doesn’t get to him first.  Coming at the end of one hard-driving punk rock song after another, it is an excellent coda to the compilation album. 

The Vol. 2-000 album also has tracks by the Newlydeads, Gage, and another Texas Terri band, Texas Terri and the Stiff Ones.  

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“Motochrist” and “We Came, We Saw, We Drank” both appear on the debut album by Mötochrist, having the dementedly playful title of 666-Pack.  A song called “Marc Diamond” also appears on the album.  The punk rock website razorcake.org includes this review of the album:  “If Evel Knievel were still recklessly careening his way through a bone-snappin’ array of death-defying stunts, he’d assuredly blast Mötochrist as tolerably loud as possible to fuel his adrenaline before once again crashing his motorbike into the record books as the world’s most amazing daredevil adventurist.  I love Evel Knievel, and, apparently, so do Mötochrist (they wrote a song about him, ‘Evel’, and they also included his name within their list of thanks in the CD-insert booklet).”  This CD is definitely on my wish list. 

Mötochrist has also released three other albums, Greetings from the Bonneville Salt Flats (2003), Hollywood High (2006), and Corvette Summer (2010). 

(October 2014)

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Items:    Motochrist