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    Curt Taylor, guitarist for Atlanta-based metal/rap band Primer 55, describes his crew’s music as “heavy rock with a hip-hop feel.”
    Yeah, heavy like the circus fat lady after she’s eaten a pan of lead-filled cookies; heavy like the Hindenburg after that lead zeppelin crashed and burned in a New Jersey field; heavy like the band’s biggest influences — NWA, Rancid, Ice T, Soulfly.
    {mosimage}And if you want to catch this “heavy” act that has sold more than 750,000 CDs around the world, you need to float on over to The Rock Shop on Sept. 26 and weigh the band’s talent for yourself.
“People try to describe our sound all the time,” said Taylor, “saying we sound like this band or that band. But in the end, we just sound like Primer 55.”
    Primer 55 was formed in 1997 in Memphis, Tenn. After gaining some word-of-mouth fame for its brutally intense live shows, the band released its self-titled debut CD in 1999 on the independent label Propellant Transmissions. Shortly after this release, the group was offered a contract with Island Def Jam, releasing Introduction to Mayhem in 2000. The band has issued two CDs since, and is working on a new recording for major label My Family Records that will hit the shelves by the end of the year.
    Band members include Taylor and Bobby Burns on guitar and bass, vocalist Donny Polinski, and Mikey Terito on drums. Burns also plays guitar with the phenomenally successful Soulfly, serving as a musical foil to guitarist extraordinaire, Max Cavalera.
    “It’s an extremely tight unit as far as musicianship goes,” said Taylor. “When we do a live show it’s like a well-oiled machine.
    “And even though we’re classified in the metal genre, we’re really not guys playing detuned seven string guitars,” added Taylor. “We play low, groove oriented rock.”
    You can check out some sound samples on the band’s Web site, www.myspace.com/primer55rocks. The songs provided are all intense, metal/rap songs — sort of the alien love child of House of Pain and Slayer — except for the standout acoustic tune, “My Girl.”
    The Web site also contains photos and testimonials from Primer 55’s fan base — a group Taylor says is among the most enthusiastic in rock.
    “Our fans are some of the rowdiest, craziest out there,” said Taylor. “And we’re especially looking forward to playing Fayetteville because it’s known as being a town that really supports heavy rock. And it’s a military town and we know how rowdy soldiers can get — we’re huge supporters of the military and everything they do for this country.”
    The Primer 55 show will get started on Friday, Sept. 26, at The Rock Shop at about 8 p.m., kicking off with opening bands Slamhandle and Abydos. Tickets are $10 and $12. For more information, call 321-ROCK, or check out the Web site, www.therockshoplive.com.