Misfortune can’t derail Bobaflex

If Bobaflex is an example of the how punishing the music industry can be, then this particular rock group is also a measure of the success that can be had despite the odds.

After being sucked into the pit of their former label’s bankruptcy and numerous lineup changes, Bobaflex resurfaced on the rock radar in 2011 with “Hell in My Heart.”

“Hell in My Heart” is a trampling set of brutal studio cuts that feverishly capture the band’s rage and passion, as well as breadth of styles and influences.

The first single on the new record, “Chemical Romance,” was hailed as a return to the band’s familiar form: Contrasting song dynamics, mid-song up-and-down tempo shifts, and a snarling appetite for fist-pumping anthems.

Another unexpected twist on “Hell in My Heart” finds Bobaflex expanding to three singers with bassist Jarod Mankin taking on the lead vocals duties on “Sling.”

While “Hell in My Heart” is largely in-character, the album also contains surprises. As if it weren’t enough of a curveball for Bobaflex to cover Simon and Garfunkel’s “Sound of Silence,” the band does so with spot-on mirroring, up until an aural explosion near the end of the jam adds another ambush to the concept.

“The Last Song” – track 11 on the 16-song album – blasts the music industry with scorching guitar lines and scathing lyrics: “And the labels aren’t so friendly now. They put your single down, and say that time is running out. You need to sound like all the other bands, and forget about your fans, because their hearts are filled with doubt.”

Led by brothers Shaun and Marty McCoy (of the legendary Hatfield-McCoy family feud), Bobaflex self-released “Hell in My Heart” on its own BFX Records and funded the April album through an online Pledge Music campaign (pledgemusic.com).

Bobaflex has had more than its share of misfortune, going way beyond the band van breaking down in the middle of nowhere while on tour. OK, that happened to them several times, too, while on tour with Mudvayne and as a part of Megadeth’s Gigantour. In Dallas, they got robbed of $20,000 worth of gear. While playing benefit shows with Twiztid to raise money to replace their gear, Bobaflex members faced hostile crowds and dodged water bottles thrown from the audience.

But regardless of the hardships Bobaflex has weathered, “Hell in My Heart” proves the band is clearly and 100 percent committed to artistic integrity and the insatiable need to rock.