According to the Silvermen's website, "Rock-n-roll was just playin' possum". But calling this rock-n-roll is ambiguous at best. Rather, this amalgam of rockabilly, surf rock, country, blues, jazz, swing and punk is probably best described as "Ronky Donk", a term borrowed from "Ronky Donk Machine", the second track on The Silvermen Attack!

The Exclamation point at the end of the previous sentence is in the title of the album, and for good reason, because this album is packed with energy from end to end, and sounds something like Dick Dale, The Reverend Horton Heat and Meatloaf got into a motorcycle accident... with Evel Knievel. Guitar-driven instrumentals sandwich the album, with the songs in between including the likes of "Torn Up" (Track 3) a fun rocker about a breakup that quotes "Raiders of the Lost Ark", and "Peepo & Skaught", a bouncy southern rocker with just a hint of ska and (dare I say it) an anthemic-sounding chorus. A sense of humor will definitely help the listener along; consider "One Of The Things", a saxy stalkery love anthem, and "Sizzle Went The Hand", a story song about why your mom told you not to touch her hot stove. Exclamation point, indeed!

Favorite Track: Track 3, "Torn Up"

Michael Fiegel is a freelance writer and graphic designer. His diverse background includes journalism, radio copywriting, technical writing, game design and music reviewing. He is best known as the creator of the Internet cult sensation, Ninja Burger. He can be reached at aeon@aeforge.com or at his website, www.aeforge.com.