Black Russians - Feel The Christmas

Well I promised you no more Christmas posts in 2021, but I didn't say anything about 2022! The mighty and mysterious Black Russians have released a Christmas-themed EP just in time for Russian Christmas next week. The idea behind this digital release on Monster Zero was to give fans a taste of new album Communist Dudes, which will almost certainly be delayed due to the current vinyl-pressing logjam. "Winter" is the first single from the new album, and it's an absolute ripper! It's interesting to me that a lot of the great "Christmas" songs are really just songs glorifying winter, yet everyone stops playing them after Christmas...when winter is just getting started! Well Black Russians have stepped up to the fill the void, and "Winter" could very well be your personal anthem to survive the next two months. Elsewhere, the band celebrates the time-honored holiday themes of murder, terror, and the brutality of the KGB. If you had certain expectations for what a Black Russians Christmas record would be, you will most definitely not be disappointed! I can't decide if "It's Always Christmas At My House" (featuring guest lead vocals by Jason V) is the ultimate anti Christmas song or actually the ultimate Christmas song!

When it comes to pop-punk these days, I seem to have reached the point where I either love it or hate it depending upon the band. Black Russians are one of the bands I love. They manage to create a sound that's somehow both harder and catchier than what's typical for pop-punk. And then the wonderfully dark humor of their lyrics takes things to a whole other level. I've never cared much for party anthems, but Communist Party anthems are another thing entirely. Feel the Christmas is the party record you and your friends need while you're carousing under the stars in sub-freezing weather!

-L.R.

https://monsterzerorecords.bandcamp.com/album/feel-the-christmas
https://blackrussians.bandcamp.com/album/feel-the-christmas
https://www.facebook.com/blackrussiansussr/
https://www.facebook.com/MonsterZeroPunkrock

Radio Buzzkills/Black Russians - Mutually Assured Destruction

HOLY SHIT! The Cold War has turned hot with the inevitable confrontation of pop-punk superpowers. Mutually Assured Destruction is the name of the record, and this is the clash of adversaries we've been awaiting since 1947. Flying the flag for the USA, the Radio Buzzkills come armed for battle with the only three chords they'll ever need. They dare to square off with the mysterious Black Russians, who have been lurking behind the Iron Curtain in preparation for the obliteration of capitalism and the entire western way of life.

Fresh off of delivering one of the finest pop-punk albums of recent memory, the Radio Buzzkills could have been excused for running low on sonic weaponry. But they have successfully re-loaded for this epic confrontation with their arch-enemies. "You're My Chernobyl" is a classic mid-paced pop-punk love song with snotty vocals, cool '50s/'60s inspired harmonies, and more than enough Soviet references to get their foes' blood boiling. And then for the real burn, "Can't Stop the Western Bloc" immortalizes the Miracle on Ice and the cracks it placed in the myth of Russian supremacy. This track demonstrates to me the magic of the Radio Buzzkills. Under ordinary circumstances, hearing a song in the style of Screeching Weasel would just make me want to listen to Screeching Weasel. But in this case, I must say I'd rather listen to the Radio Buzzkills. I can't quite tell you why, other than that this is about as perfectly executed as pop-punk music gets.

Undeterred by the Radio Buzzkills' unprecedented display of power, The Black Russians counter with the might and menace of an internationally feared fighting force. "We'd Have A Riot Doing Krokodil" is really just the warmup. Ever wonder why the Communist Party never had its own party anthem? Well "Communist Party" is exactly that - the theme music you cue up when you've crushed your enemies, achieved world domination, and really need to let loose. If Khrushchev and Castro had thrown an epic kegger in 1962 and brought Sloppy Seconds back in time to rock the stage, it would have sounded an awful lot like this. Dig that first-class guitar shredding! "Ain't Putin Up With You" brings the East/West beef into the modern arena with a pop-punk meets Motörhead rocket launch that will be felt across all continents.

War has been declared, and shots have been fired. It is impossible to determine a winner. These are two of pop-punk's best bands, and they've both brought their A-games. Luckily the title of Mutually Assured Destruction proved to be incorrect. We can now retreat to our bunkers and anxiously await a sequel!



-L.R.

https://outloudrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mutually-assured-destruction 
https://theradiobuzzkills.bandcamp.com/album/mutually-assured-destruction 
https://www.facebook.com/theradiobuzzkills/ 
https://www.facebook.com/blackrussiansussr/ 
https://www.facebook.com/OUTLOUDrecords/ 

Black Russians - Death By Communism

Good god, has there ever been a lot of great pop-punk stuff coming out lately! Those of you who are connoisseurs of the genre are probably wondering what took me so long to get to this killer debut album from Black Russians. Well, you know: I was very busy renovating my nuclear war bunker. Out on the fabulous OUTLOUD! Records, Death By Communism is 13 tracks of ripping pop-punk rock n' roll that never wavers from a Soviet Union/Cold War theme. If you're looking for something different from the usual "songs about girls" motif, well this ought to do it for you! In some totally twisted way, this album actually makes me nostalgic for the Cold War days. And given my professed love for dark humor, there was just never a doubt that Black Russians would be right on my wavelength. Some of these songs had me absolutely rolling. But the band gimmick would not be worth much if the songs weren't so freaking good! Black Russians really know how to write catchy three-chord pop songs, and I really dig the band's tough, hard-hitting execution of the pop-punk style. There's even a metal/hard rock influence integrated into a few of these tracks that takes me back to my own Cold War era adolescence.

It's remarkable that in this age of information leaks, the identities of Black Russians 1 through 4 have remained a well-guarded secret. And isn't it much better that way? I choose to believe that the '80s never ended and this band still lurks behind the Iron Curtain. Even if you completely took away the concept of Death By Communism, you'd still have a kick-ass pop-punk album! Jump on this one if you dig Lillingtons, Connie Dungs, Sloppy Seconds, et al.!



-L.R.

https://outloudrecords.bandcamp.com/album/death-by-communism 
https://www.facebook.com/blackrussiansussr/ 
https://www.facebook.com/OUTLOUDrecords/