Klazo - 'Demik Dementia

Holy smokes, do we ever have a ripper here! Brace yourself! London, Ontario duo Klazo plays fast & ferocious punk rock that meets at the intersection of early hardcore, post Reatards garage-punk, and old school Rust Belt punk rock. A co-release between Big Neck and No Front Teeth Records, its new album 'Demik Dementia is a goddamn classic upon arrival. This is truly a vintage Big Neck Records release! The one-sheet summarizes it as "blaster tracks with compulsive yelling amplified by fire, alcohol and carbon monoxide poisoning," and it would be futile for me to try and come up with a better description. How can just two people kick up a racket this enormous? On this release, Rob and Jesse tear through 11 tracks that smash everything in their path. And while the sheer force and manic energy of the music are undeniable, what separates Klazo from so many other bands of this style is that they've got songs. And I love how the band complements all the killer original material with unbelievably awesome covers of a couple of classics: PACK's "Nobody Can Tell Us" and Electric Eels' "Jaguar Ride". Those cover selections give you excellent reference points for what Klazo is all about, and the band totally crushes both songs. 

'Demik Dementia is reminiscent of a whole lot of great records that came out in the early-to-mid aughts. But as the title suggests, it's fully imbued with the anxiety, despair, and rage of this unprecedented moment in our existence. If you love garage trash, Killed By Death comps, or just great punk rock in general, you need to be all over this release!

-L.R.

https://klazo.bandcamp.com/album/demik-dementia-lp
https://bigneckrecords1.bandcamp.com/album/demik-dementia
https://www.nofrontteeth.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/klazomania/
https://www.facebook.com/bigneckrecords

Dead Meat (II)

Last year I went absolutely wild over the debut EP from London punk supergroup Dead Meat. This band hits that sweet spot where the tougher side of '70s punk rock meets the roots of hardcore. The good news is that Dead Meat is back with a second EP on No Front Teeth Records -- again recorded by Ben Perrier. The bad news is that this is the final release from Dead Meat. As you can imagine, band rehearsals are challenging to arrange with members living in different countries and some even residing on different continents! But given the Killed By Death vibe of Dead Meat's recordings, it seems rather appropriate that their final output will be measured by just two EPs. Dead Meat's second EP is very much like the first one. It includes four ripping tracks which all run well under two minutes. The tunes are raw and mean but also catchy as hell. If you like punk tunes that make you wanna bob your head even as they punch you in the mouth, this is definitely the record for you! While this will be the final release from Dead Meat, Adrian and Fisher are working on a new band in a similar vein. And Vince and Jake will continue to assault the world's collective eardrums with the mighty Kool and the Gang Bangers and The Cavemen. Standard copies of Dead Meat II will be spray-painted on a leather sleeve by Marco NFT himself. That means that no two copies will be alike -- record collectors are gonna go crazy! Supplies are limited, so get your orders in! 

-L.R.  

https://deadmeatpunk.bandcamp.com/album/dead-meat-ii-ep
https://www.nofrontteeth.co.uk/large-grid

Return of the Disco Lepers!

So after a four-year hiatus, the mighty Disco Lepers are back with a vengeance! These Londoners continue their quest to keep punk music vile and offensive - having just launched a three-song sonic missile called "Open Sores" in advance of a new LP due out very soon. After ten years as a band, Disco Lepers can still be counted on to deliver straight-up snotty punk rock in the timeless Killed By Death style. The title track is a total smasher - the kind of irresistibly repugnant ditty that you've grown to expect from this lovable gang of scums. You will find not the slightest hint of "maturity" - the band tearing into this tune as if on a mission of destruction and Vinny spewing vitriol like he's trying to infect everyone within earshot. "God Bless Mark David Chapman" is blistering and catchy as hell - a modern-day response to that popular joke that was going around in the '80s about a Beatles reunion requiring "three more bullets". Yeah, of course they went there! Coming on in a noisier vein, "Carbon Black" is a parting shot of jagged unpleasantness that ought to leave you fully primed for the new album Sophisticated Shame.

Out on No Front Teeth Records, "Open Sores" is sure to sell out fast. So the time to jump on this bad boy is now. I highly recommend ordering the limited edition of this release - which features the second installment in the Jet Comix series (illustrated by the immensely talented Jackie Sudden). It's incredibly cool and a total must-have if you're a Disco Lepers/Gaggers/No Front Teeth fan. So if you'd like to see Disco Lepers embark on a time traveling mission to kill The Beatles, email the label at NFTzine@hotmail.com to make the necessary arrangements! And be sure to check out the brand new Disco Lepers Bandcamp page - where you can download all of the band's releases and listen to a teaser for Sophisticated Shame!



-L.R.

http://discolepers.bandcamp.com/
http://www.nofrontteeth.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/No-Front-Teeth-Records/117591658310943

Stalin Video: the debut album!

If you described Stalin Video as The Gaggers meet Now in 3D, you'd be literally correct. The trans-Atlantic super-group Stalin Video features members of these two recently defunct bands joining forces and merging their signature sounds. Animalistik is the band's debut album, and it's a Grade A ripper. Throw the snotty punk rock of The Gaggers into a blender with the scuzzy synth-punk of Now In 3D. Toss in a lyrical obsession with murder, torture, and large scale brainwashing. The resulting concoction is hard to swallow yet nothing short of extraordinary. What else would you expect from a band with a genocidal authoritarian dictator for a mascot?

Don't let the synths and robot man backing vocals fool you. Animalistik is not some brooding post-punk art piece. It's a punk rock record all the way - and a crackling one at that. Imagine The Screamers on a dystopian sci-fi bender, covering an entire volume of Killed By Death. The lyrical vision is deeply disturbing, yet fantastically open to interpretation. Is this a glimpse at a nightmarish future, or are we already there? It's chilling to envision killer dogs roaming the streets and evil doctors experimenting on live subjects. And "My Face On Your Head" is a mind fuck I'm still struggling to process. Yet songs like "Animalistik Journalist" and "Suspekt" seem more topical than speculative - reminders that the human horror show is already well in progress. Terminal Gagger, reborn here as Vinny Stalin, spits out every gruesome detail with a fury bordering on delirium. And musically, Stalin Video is the best of the two worlds its unites: fast and frantic, with a whole lot of electro creepiness bubbling under. This may seem like an odd choice of words, but this is a thrilling record. These songs have a way of compelling you to sing along - which is a total blast until you realize what's coming out of your mouth. I'll never look at a Lincoln Continental the same way again.

Animalistik is that rare punk rock album that manages to be different yet completely great. I have to admit I'm usually lukewarm on synth-punk. But to me, this record would not have worked without the synths. The precise combination of influences that makes up Stalin Video has yielded something truly special. And so far, it's definitely the punk rock record of the year. If you're bummed that The Gaggers are no more, the dark offerings of Animalistik ought to lift your spirits. Get it from Wanda Records!



-L.R. 

http:/wandarecords.de
https://www.facebook.com/wandarecords

New Piss Test 7"!

So who's the best punk rock band out there right now? Whenever this question comes up, I can always think of four or five bands that have to be in the conversation. And one of them, without question, is Piss Test. In 2013, this Portland, Oregon trio debuted with one of the greatest punk rock EPs of recent memory. A follow-up album in 2014 was freaking killer as well, and now the band is back with another ripper of an EP. Out on Germany's Taken By Surprise Records, this is the second self-titled EP from Piss Test. And how can Piss Test get away with having multiple self-titled EPs? Because they're Piss Test, and they can do what they want! The band is billing this new release as ST EP2. Taken By Surprise calls it Second 7". I refer to it as the "black and white record". If all of this seems highly confusing, I would just recommend buying everything Piss Test has released to date and then making up your own titles. To me, that's a solution that benefits humanity as a whole.

Whatever you choose to call it, this new record is every bit as raging as I anticipated. Piss Test continues to play awesome snotty punk rock in a Killed By Death/early '80s hardcore vein, and again Zach lives up to his billing as the angriest man in Portland. Except now I'd say he's earned a promotion to angriest man west of the Mississippi. Expect the medal ceremony to be televised. As always, his ability to combine scathing mockery with clever observational humor makes him somewhat of a lyrical genius. No doubt, songs like "Leather Jackets In The Heat" and "Nick Cave Phase" will have people screaming, "Oh my god! He's so right!" Zach is an intelligent and provocative songwriter, and it's always fun to find out what he's going to say next. But it's not just what he says - it's how he says it. The dude's just an incredible punk singer. I love how his vocals teeter between super pissed-off and downright maniacal. And musically, Piss Test has never sounded more fierce. If you were hoping for another sing-along anthem along the lines of "Frigid Punks", "Leather Jackets In The Heat" is exactly that. And "Bad Seed" takes the band to new heights of ferocity.

For the third time now, Piss Test has blown me away with a totally smoking release. And by all accounts, these folks are even better live! Is this one of the best punk rock bands out there right now? No doubt about it!




-L.R.

http://pisstest.bandcamp.com/album/st-ep2-7-on-taken-by-surprise-records
http://takenbysurpriserecords.bandcamp.com/album/second-7
https://www.facebook.com/PissTest

Meet Pronto!

It seems like one of my annual rituals for the month of January is to post on an album from the previous year that probably would have made my year-end top ten if I'd only heard it on time. And even as stacked as my 2014 top ten turned out to be, the debut album from Pronto would surely have cracked the list or at least earned an honorable mention. Given that it's totally up my alley, I'm somewhat embarrassed that I did not get hip to When You're Gone far sooner than I did. I became aware of the album very late in the year and just didn't have the time to give it multiple spins until the clock had run out on 2014. But when it comes to discovering great music, it's never too late. So I'm kicking off a new year on a strong note! 

Pronto is a Melbourne punk group made up of members of Gentlemen, Chook Race, Chugga and the Fuckheads, School Damage, and Drug Sweat. The band set out to be a classic power pop group a la Milk 'N' Cookies or The Quick but quickly realized that its talents were more suited for straight-up punk rock. And that turned out to be a stroke of good fortune - because Pronto has captured a sound that's unlike any other band's. These guys take '70s pop/punk and power pop influences and infuse them into a raw and aggressive punk style that brings to mind Killed By Death comps and the best of '90s garage-punk. If you normally pass on today's powerpop/punk stuff because it's too clean or lacking balls, When You're Gone will be music to your ears - literally! I know they aren't stated influences, but I can't help being reminded of the first Damned and Clash albums. There's such rawness and explosive energy to the music, but with genuinely great tunes. And I love the idea of a band trying to write pop songs but playing them like punk songs. Pronto thrashes through these 11 tracks with wild abandon, and you're gonna love every minute of it!

When You're Gone pulls you in with two of its poppiest tracks. "Cry" is rambunctious, catchy, and perfectly placed as an album opener. With its its chugging tempo and shout-along backing vocals, "Sick Of You" is an absolute blast. But once you get to "Daddy", it's obvious that Pronto is no power pop group. And that's when this record really hits its stride! Jack might not sing "pretty", but he can scream and shout with the best of 'em. And Pronto is really in its element playing furious, fist-pumping numbers like "Shut Up" and "Soldier". Even when the songwriting is overtly melodic ("Call You Up"), you get the sense that anyone could learn how to play this music. And that's the beauty of Pronto. They play punk rock the way it was meant to sound - simple, exciting, and fantastically primitive. Without even trying, Pronto has essentially made a classic 1977 punk record. Blast it at max volume while you jump around like a maniac!



-L.R.

http://prontofanclub.bandcamp.com/album/when-youre-gone 
https://www.facebook.com/offthehiprecords 

Rev. Norb & The Onions make an album!

Now we're talking! Following two killer EPS, Rev. Norb & The Onions have delivered a self-titled album that does NOT disappoint! The Onions - the pride of Manitowoc, Wisconsin - were already a terrific band before they took on the fabled front man Norb (Suburban Mutilation, Boris the Sprinkler). But in joining forces, these two entities have created a veritable dream team of garage/punk/rock n' roll goodness. Somehow this outfit combines everything I've ever loved about all of Brad X's prior bands with everything I loved about Boris the Sprinkler. Mix those elements together, and you'd expect some raw & ripping garage punk imbued with the oddball vocal stylings and lyrical high strangeness that could only originate from Norb's peculiar brain. Throw in a dash of kick-ass surf guitar, and that's pretty much it! If Boris the Sprinkler was too "pop-punk" for your tastes (to me, their sound was more classic '77 punk), you'll be happy to discover that Rev. Norb & The Onions are more of a sock-you-in-the-face kind of band. And who doesn't love a good face-socking? Forget what the hipster element is trying to sell you. This is the true spirit of garage punk: trashy, lo-fi rock n' roll recklessly unfurled by beer-guzzling Midwestern degenerates subsisting on a steady diet of The Stooges, Fun Things, and Killed By Death compilations. I have always associated the state of Wisconsin with bands like this - the travel brochures of my mind depicting joyous nights spent sampling fine beer & cheese whilst observing legions of garage punk greats bringing the noise in their natural habitat. Whether The Onions are reviving this tradition or merely sustaining it, I will continue to believe that there's something very special in that Lake Michigan water. 

With seven of this album's 12 tracks clocking in at under two minutes, it's obvious that Rev. Norb & The Onions aren't screwing around. Norb will always be Norb - and the world is better for it. But with The Onions, he has reigned in the schtick and returned to the form that helped make him a legendary figure in American hardcore. Songs like "Teenage Tantrum", "Bore Me", and "I'm Shit" rip with speed and fury, while "Negative 13" brings to mind some of the "harder" Boris The Sprinkler songs. The band deviates from its primary course just enough to keep things interesting. Nods to '60s party garage ("Oddy Knocky") and pure '77 punk ("She's A Stain") are true standouts. And "Where Zombies Chill" sounds like the MC5 crashed a Misfits Halloween party and burned the place to the ground. If you've been following The Onions in recent years, this album is every bit the smasher you were expecting. And if you're a Norb fan, this is easily the best album he's been a part of since the late '90s. This is a surer thing than Aaron Rodgers against the Eagles' secondary. Buy immediately!  



-L.R.

http://theonionsmanitowoc.bandcamp.com/album/rev-norb-the-onions-s-t 
https://www.facebook.com/revnorbonions 

Piss Test Returns!

Piss Test's phenomenal debut EP was no fluke! A year and a half after exploding on the scene with one of 2013's most essential 7" releases, the Portland punk trio has come through with a debut album so epic that they had to give it two titles - LP1 out on Jonnycat Records and Biggest Band In Europe out on Germany's Taken By Surprise Records. No word yet on a North Korean title.

To recap: Piss Test is Zachary (Red Dons, Scott Baio Army, Soda Pop Kids), Samantha (Dottie Attie), and Rodrigo (Red Shadows). Zachary is described as "Portland's angriest man", and he more than lives up to that billing on this 13-song smasher of an album. In its willingness to opine on numerous matters of the day without any regard for political correctness or common decency, Piss Test recalls classic punk bands such as Fear and the Angry Samoans. But if you've previously written Piss Test off as a "joke band", LP1 will swiftly correct that misconception. Sure, there's still much hilarity to be heard in songs like "Nico Goes To Goth Night" and "Don't Let Nazis Do Your Taxes" (excellent advice, actually!). But with this release, Piss Test show that they're not always joking. The band has some very serious things to say about topics such as urban gentrification, poverty, the travails of aging punks, and the extreme sacrifices you have to make if you desire a life in music - and on vocals Zachary puts forth those ideas with ferocity and conviction. He sounds genuinely worked-up, and at times even maniacal! Musically, the band continues to combine the best elements of Killed By Death comps and early '80s punk/hardcore with hints of late '90s garage trash. And with ripping sing-along anthems like "Macy's", "Everybody", and "Rob Starts A Class War", Piss Test will delight oldsters like me and younger punks alike. There was a time in punk music when being angry didn't necessarily equate to being humorless- and Piss Test are true throwbacks to those days. They sound like they could have stepped out of a portal from 1981 - yet the subject matter they tackle is completely relevant to what's happening now. As long as there's still so much in this world to rail against and/or make fun of, we will always need groups like Piss Test.

The last time I wrote about Piss Test, I referred to them as the "best new band of the year". And since then, they've stepped up their songwriting and delivered a truly great debut album. The interplay between guitar and bass sounds amazing, and Zachary is quickly becoming one of the best punk singers out there. And hats off to Maus Merky (recording) and Hajji Husayn (mastering) for their outstanding work in the studio! If you, like me, wish there were more bands these days playing straight-up snotty punk rock, I hereby command you to acquire a copy of LP1!



-L.R.

http://pisstest.bandcamp.com/album/lp-1-biggest-band-in-europe
https://www.facebook.com/PissTest
https://www.facebook.com/pages/TAKEN-BY-SURPRISE-RECORDS/171760112965

Get Dumb!

For a brief and harrowing period earlier this year, The Mongrolls were no more. How a one-man band can actually break up is a mystery to me (sounds like the plot to a gruesome sci-fi/horror flick). But it really happened. I tried to take responsibility for any role that I may have played in this highly distressing development. I asked myself if I had played my Mongrolls CDs loud enough. I wondered if my Mongrolls reviews had lacked adequate vocabulary or sufficient syntax. I took myself to task for not buying the complete set of Mongrolls action figures. Had I cut too many Boston Bruins from my fantasy hockey team? Consumed by guilt and dashed dreams, I went into a prolonged existential funk that was only relieved by the sudden and unexpected news that The Mongrolls were back from the dead. Hark! There is joy in Rutland! The Mongrolls are back with the long-awaited Get Dumb - their fourth and by far best album!

While I'd recommend all of the Mongrolls' albums, Get Dumb finally nails what Greg's been going for all these years: lo-fi trash meets powerpop/punk with a touch of Killed By Death. I'd say this is the strongest and hookiest collection of songs Greg has written to date. There are no filler tracks. And from a production & fidelity standpoint, Greg could write the manual on how a "garage" punk recording should sound. For sure, it takes real smarts to make music this stupid. I love the blown-out guitar sound, shouted caveman vocals, and crude, borderline incompetent drumming. The title track is up there with all the classic Mongrolls songs, and "Don't Wanna Know" could pass for some long-lost artifact unearthed from the Rip Off Records treasure chest. "Jerkinittou" is not a cover, but it still suggests a top shelf garage rock novelty hit of yore (Jerkin' it to you? Wasn't that a big dance craze back in the '60s?). And the songs that are covers are great fun as always. The Ronettes' 1963 top ten smash "Be My Baby" and the Amatones' new wave pop obscurity "Plastic Surgeon" both get completely Mongroll-fied, while a smashing rendition of the Roky Erickson/Bleib Alien rager "Two Headed Dog" does not disappoint. But while everyone always looks forward to the covers on a Mongrolls record, Get Dumb is equally rich in quality originals like "Retained It" (Iggy and the Stooges meet The Three Stooges?) and the teethkicking closer "All For You".

There's plenty of stuff out there trying to pass itself off as garage-punk that has nothing to do with garage or punk. But Get Dumb is the real deal - and a sweet deal at that for only $5! I'd like to think of "Get Dumb" as not just the title of an album or song, but as the inspiration for a major movement in American culture. Time to get on board!




-L.R.

http://themongrolls.bandcamp.com/album/get-dumb
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Mongrolls-Official/124466010939522

The Beast Bites

The Socials have been a band for 19 years and have just released their first 7". That's got to be some kind of world record. Somebody call Guinness. Better yet, somebody get me a Guinness. This heat wave is taking its toll.

Okay, so it's not like The Socials have never put out music before. They've released two CDs as well as numerous demos in various formats such as 8-track tape and answering machine micro cassette. But all that stuff's long out of print. And since it's hardly a stretch to refer to The Socials as legends of Cincinnati punk rock, it's imperative that some of their music be available for purchase at all times. The future of civilization is riding on it. I can't tell you how The Beast Bites compares to the band's "classic" recordings of the '90s. And that's because I never heard any of those recordings. Up until the early 2000s, The Socials were a band that I often heard of but never actually heard. I thought they might have been pure urban legend, like Chupacabras or gerbiling. But if I had to guess, I'd say that The Socials are one of those bands that's managed to continually improve its entire career. The "glory days" of The Socials are still ahead of them. Perhaps they're just late bloomers, or maybe they were simply too far ahead of their time. In any case, I'd say The Beast Bites is a perfect introduction to The Socials. It sounds like...victory. How fitting that it's out on the legendary Centsless Productions - the same label that immortalized The Slobs, Archie and the Pukes, and the Syphilitics on vinyl. Cincinnati über alles!

What I like about The Socials is that they don't sound like any other band. Sometimes they don't even sound like themselves. Who else out there is doing garage rock n' roll meets '77 punk meets minimalist art-core meets post-punk meets Killed By Death with female vocals and a dystopian/sci-fi angle? I think The Socials are possibly time travelers - or robots. I believe they may have formed in the year 2525 and honed their craft in London circa 1980. Full of lyrics about government, war, technology, and the future, The Beast Bites is your soundtrack to impending apocalypse. "The Future Has Let Me Down Again" brings to mind SST era Sonic Youth with sludgy Melvins guitars, while "Hot Tips" is straight-ahead catchy punk that you could compare to X-Ray Spex (or Bikini Kill if you're under the age of 40). "GoVermont" mixes an overt political message with an upbeat new wave sound and a sing-along chorus. I expect it to go to #6 on the dance charts. "Nouvelle Technologie" is slower and kinda creepy- which I believe is supposed to be the point.

Compared to what I have heard previously from The Socials, this record is at another level entirely. Musically and lyrically, they're hitting it like Joey Votto. Credit producer Andy Slob for really pushing the band to make a great EP. And clearly any old jokes about these individuals lacking talent or musical skill will have to be back-dated a decade or two. Mrs. Communication, Shawn Abnoxious, and Juice by Jerry have achieved the kind of chemistry that can only come from playing together for a very long time. The guitar/bass interplay on "The Future Has Let Me Down Again" is absolutely magnificent, and I really like the creativity of the song structuring. You think "Hot Tips" has ended, and then suddenly it rises from the dead and starts anew. That's kind of a metaphor for this whole group - which has outlasted all the bands it used to play with and will probably outlast most of the ones it's playing with now. By the time they release their true magnum opus, it will probably be downloadable directly to a computer chip in your brain. Shit's about to get weird - don't say The Socials didn't warn you.


-L.R.

https://www.facebook.com/TheSocialsBand
https://www.facebook.com/CentslessProductions

Ladies and gentlemen, Piss Test!

Alright! Let's cap off the month in style! As you may have guessed from the name, Piss Test is not an emo band. Instead think catchy and aggressive Killed By Death style fury with a heavy injection of Texan punk n' roll scuzz - except they're from Portland! You may know Zach, Samantha, and Rodrigo from such groups as Red Dons, Therapists, Cuntifiers, Scott Baio Army, Soda Pop Kids, Call Sign Cobra, Zach the Cuntry Wonder, and Shadowhouse. But I get the feeling that Piss Test is gonna be bigger than any of those bands. The Portland trio has a brand-new 7" out on the venerable Jonnycat Records, and the thing is flat-out hot. I'm talking punk-as-fuck type stuff that rocks! I love the raw sound and memorably vitriolic lyrics. You can tell how much fun these three are having, and that energy is totally contagious! This is what we've been missing in today's scene - bands who bring a genuinely original take to an "old school" punk style. You hear a Piss Test song, and you know it's a Piss Test song! "Frigid Punks" is quite the scathing statement, and it's an instant anthem to boot! I dare you to resist singing along. And if you crave a good laugh in a sleazy and brilliantly tasteless sort of way, it's hard to beat songs like "Necrophilia (It's Halal)" and "IPA". These cats have got the attitude and the killer tunes to boot. If you're highly distressed that punk music has become way too safe and clean-cut for your degenerate tastes, Piss Test will warm your heart with its sordid tales of chemical abuse and bad life choices. Best new band of the year so far!



-L.R.

http://www.facebook.com/PissTest
http://pisstest.bandcamp.com/

Sick Thrills indeed!

Seriously: what's not to love about a ten-song 7"?! That's some real bang for your buck in this tough economy! Columbus, Ohio's mighty Sick Thrills have given us No Fashion - the kind of record that makes me nostalgic for the heyday of the 7" EP. No doubt the instant gratification of downloading is pretty nice. But it will never be cooler than opening up a new 7" and playing it for the first time. And I love that DIY sleeve!

In a time in which so many bands attach themselves to some sort of sub-genre movement, the Sick Thrills are just straight-up PUNK ROCK. Of course when you're cramming ten songs onto a 7", you know you're not messing around. But the "hardcore" pigeonhole doesn't seem 100 percent right here. Instead I'm hearing more of a cross between Killed By Death punk and early '80s hardcore with a touch of Midwestern '77 danger to boot. The recording is great: very raw and basic in purely the best way, with guitars that cut like razors and a totally savage sound in general. Hot damn, this is what a punk rock record should sound like! It's lo-fi, but it freaking rips! The songs are quick bursts of fury, but they're surprisingly melodic and full of sing-along hooks that surely have the live crowds hoisting their beers in the air. Jon Slak on lead vocals sounds a little deranged and highly pissed - both tremendous attributes for music of this style. And while the pace of the record is dizzying, it's not like these guys are playing at all-out warp speed. The Sick Thrills just happen to be very efficient in their delivery, eliminating any unneeded excess and delivering the goods in succinct gut punches of glory. Having been blown away by songs like the blistering title track and the smash hit "Drugzzz", I'm kind of shocked that this is the first I've heard of this band. How have the Sick Thrills managed to evade my radar for so long? Check out the their YouTube channel to hear the awesomeness for yourself! 



-L.R. 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sick-Thrills/122763904419639

Aye! It's TV Eye!

Holy shit! How is this the first time I've ever reviewed TV Eye?! If these Swedes were any more up my alley, they'd be on my bowling team! All four members have been playing in bands since the late '70s and early '80s, and in 1998 they joined forces to become TV Eye. They put out a couple CDs in recent years that I somehow managed to miss, but I'm all over their new EP! Working Bee turns out 10 poppy rippers in less than nine minutes, and it's a freaking blast! Imagine The Dickies if they'd been on Killed By Death comps or the Buzzcocks on an amphetamine bender. These guys promise short, fast songs in a '77 punk style, and that's exactly what they deliver. Sometimes when bands play this fast, the melodies get obscured a little. But somehow, TV Eye run right through that problem. For sure, they keep it quick and catchy. But even amidst all that frenzy, the hooks are easy to find and sure to delight. Pogo party tonight, and everyone's invited! Who's bringing the Jolt cola?!



-L.R.

http://www.tveye.se/
http://tveye77.bandcamp.com/album/working-bee-10-song-vinyl-7-2012

Nuclear Santa Claust

You may have guessed that Nuclear Santa Claust is not a wholesome group of Christmas carolers. Far from it! Imagine instead The Pagans and Screamers massacring each other in a knife fight and coming back as zombies to play Ramones songs under the lights of Armageddon. Most of the time you can tell when a "new" band is trying to play an old style, but that is not the case with this Brooklyn-by-the-way of Cleveland punk rock trio. NSC do not sound like they're from this time. Hell, they don't sound like they're from this planet! On top of that, they're just freakin' great! Remember when punk music was threatening? "Bikini Island" will blow your head clean off! My forthcoming album of the year selection may be shrouded in secrecy, but EP of the year is a stone cold mortal lock for NSC's self-titled debut. If you're a Killed by Death fanatic or a lover of early American punk, you'll want this record under your tree this Christmas!



-L.R.

http://nuclearsantaclaust.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nuclear-Santa-Claust/145726368798559