Now this is an awesome album. You’ve got four of the best punk bands from Perth, all with distinctly different styles to suit whatever mood you’re in, being represented on a massive 23 track album. The only way I’m going to be able to review this is by discussing each band separately, so let’s get into it!
This album begins with The Lungs, and anyone who’s seen these guys live will know that they are pretty much the most hardcore band on the album. I don’t mean that in a musical sense, I mean that in a ‘missing teeth, tattoos, piercings etc’ sense. They seem like the kind of guys who just live and breathe punk, and even if you’ve never seen them live, song titles such as ‘Chicks Dig Assholes’, ‘Head Like A Cunt’ and ‘Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll’ should pretty much give that away. Fortunately, their songs are as catchy and fun as they are heavy, making their contribution to this album a very enjoyable one.
Next up are one of my personal faves ZXSPECKY, who despite their inclusion on this album, refuse to be labelled as ‘punk’. Their contribution is a set of fun, light-hearted pop songs that don’t take themselves too seriously, played at high speed. Funnily enough, Specky’s six songs consists of three from their upcoming album Vegetative State, and three others which I assume are old unreleased or B-side tracks. The change in style is very noticeable and quite jarring, but on the other hand, it’s interesting to have that comparison between old and new. Overall, this section of the album is a fun change of pace from the other sections… and besides, if I don’t say good things about these guys I may get a song dedication in the vein of ‘Puerto Chicxulub’ (a song which makes fun of a poorly written review).
Third on the list are The New Husseins, a more traditional kind of punk rock with extremely blokey vocals. These guys know how to have fun but can also rock as hard as anyone else, and both of these elements are demonstrated through one of the greatest drinking songs of recent memory: ‘Alcohol’. Other highlights include ‘Sniper’ and ‘Chooky’, and while this particular list of songs is the smallest on the album (5 instead of 6), it holds its own quite well.
Last but certainly not least are Perth’s favourite streetpunx, Surprise Sex Attack. Their section picks up right where ‘A Romantic Interlude’ left off, which means the songs consist mostly of ultra fast punk rock with screaming vocals. There are also some slower, ska-influenced sections, and the album ends with a cover of ‘Dirty Old Town’, a singalong favourite at live shows. SSA distinguish themselves on this album by being the most intense and frenetic band, and while the others had at least one ‘fun’ song each, SSA sound deadly serious all the way through.
The four sections of this album not only sound great on their own, but they complement each other really well, meaning that the album sounds like a complete package as opposed to a bunch of disjointed songs. It’s fun to listen to, great value for money, and best of all, contains something for everyone- well, everyone who likes punk rock anyway. Definitely worth buying.
MARK V
Monday, May 25, 2009
GWH - The Spirit of Hate
Angry. Angry young man. This rather obscure Simpsons quote always comes to mind when seeing a Good Willed Hate concert. This band is all about the anger, and it works in their favour, because the most memorable aspect of their live shows is how brutal and in-your-face they are.
GWH have finally released a five track EP (seven if you get the bonus hidden ones) called ‘The Spirit of Hate’, and the name turns out to be an appropriate one because that spirit of hate and anger from the live shows has been successfully captured in the studio recordings. The songs that made the EP are short, loud, and straight to the point. GWH do not mess around or over-complicate things- when they want to say something, they say it as clearly and loudly as they possibly can, just to make sure you don’t misunderstand them.
The track list includes well-known GWH songs such as Myths, Life’s Just a Dream, and the singalong favourite Set Fire to the Amplifier. On certain discs, Freeway (my personal fave) is also included as a bonus track. I was surprised that Human Plague was not included, especially since the cover art is based on that song, but I suppose you can’t have everything.
While the sound quality is very good, I personally had an issue with the sound mixing. Obviously it’s not my place to tell a band how they should sound, but I thought the vocals sounded too loud and the guitars sounded too quiet, muffled even. It was okay on my headphones, but in my car the only thing I could hear was the vocals. This is a shame, because the guitar work on this album is very good, and I thought the album would’ve sounded better if the guitars weren’t constantly drowned out by the vocals.
Despite my issues with the mixing, I liked the music on this EP, which takes elements of hardcore, metal and punk to create a very heavy, very aggressive sound. The Spirit of Hate provides a great sample of GWH’s musical style for new fans, while also giving the established fans something to listen to between shows. It’s a promising studio debut which will hopefully be followed by many more.
MARK V
GWH have finally released a five track EP (seven if you get the bonus hidden ones) called ‘The Spirit of Hate’, and the name turns out to be an appropriate one because that spirit of hate and anger from the live shows has been successfully captured in the studio recordings. The songs that made the EP are short, loud, and straight to the point. GWH do not mess around or over-complicate things- when they want to say something, they say it as clearly and loudly as they possibly can, just to make sure you don’t misunderstand them.
The track list includes well-known GWH songs such as Myths, Life’s Just a Dream, and the singalong favourite Set Fire to the Amplifier. On certain discs, Freeway (my personal fave) is also included as a bonus track. I was surprised that Human Plague was not included, especially since the cover art is based on that song, but I suppose you can’t have everything.
While the sound quality is very good, I personally had an issue with the sound mixing. Obviously it’s not my place to tell a band how they should sound, but I thought the vocals sounded too loud and the guitars sounded too quiet, muffled even. It was okay on my headphones, but in my car the only thing I could hear was the vocals. This is a shame, because the guitar work on this album is very good, and I thought the album would’ve sounded better if the guitars weren’t constantly drowned out by the vocals.
Despite my issues with the mixing, I liked the music on this EP, which takes elements of hardcore, metal and punk to create a very heavy, very aggressive sound. The Spirit of Hate provides a great sample of GWH’s musical style for new fans, while also giving the established fans something to listen to between shows. It’s a promising studio debut which will hopefully be followed by many more.
MARK V
The Decline - The Same Kind
The Decline’s debut EP, The Same Kind, is the complete opposite to a box of chocolates. With this album, you know exactly what you’re going to get. It’s punk rock. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. It doesn’t try to be overly complex or break any rules of the genre, it’s just 5 songs of punk rock, plain and simple. And it’s called ‘The Same Kind’. Oh the irony.
But let me make one thing clear: this is a good thing. A very, VERY good thing. Think about all your favourite major-label punk bands. Now think about what their first couple of albums sounded like- you know, before they sold out for cash and/or turned into whiney, middle aged emos (those bastards). Now you know what to expect from this EP.
The album starts off super fast and stays that way until the end. It’s full of catchy hooks, riffs and melodies, and has a distinctly ‘Aussie’ style. Maybe it’s because of the music, or maybe it’s because the vocals brought back memories of Frenzal Rhomb. Either way, the album sounds great and is flawlessly mixed.
Speaking of vocals, the lyrics on this album are very politically-charged. Okay, a couple of songs seem to be talking about relationships, but then you get to Life Sentence, an interesting rant about the death penalty. And of course, there’s the title track which attacks the war in Iraq, and the highlight track No Way Hose, which talks about racism towards Arabs. Plus it samples South Park, which earns extra points in my books.
Despite being too damn short (as all EPs are), this EP is excellent. It’s so much fun to listen to and it leaves you wanting more (good thing they’re recording an LP then). If you’re into the same kind of music that has been described in this review, then this EP is a must-own!
MARK V
But let me make one thing clear: this is a good thing. A very, VERY good thing. Think about all your favourite major-label punk bands. Now think about what their first couple of albums sounded like- you know, before they sold out for cash and/or turned into whiney, middle aged emos (those bastards). Now you know what to expect from this EP.
The album starts off super fast and stays that way until the end. It’s full of catchy hooks, riffs and melodies, and has a distinctly ‘Aussie’ style. Maybe it’s because of the music, or maybe it’s because the vocals brought back memories of Frenzal Rhomb. Either way, the album sounds great and is flawlessly mixed.
Speaking of vocals, the lyrics on this album are very politically-charged. Okay, a couple of songs seem to be talking about relationships, but then you get to Life Sentence, an interesting rant about the death penalty. And of course, there’s the title track which attacks the war in Iraq, and the highlight track No Way Hose, which talks about racism towards Arabs. Plus it samples South Park, which earns extra points in my books.
Despite being too damn short (as all EPs are), this EP is excellent. It’s so much fun to listen to and it leaves you wanting more (good thing they’re recording an LP then). If you’re into the same kind of music that has been described in this review, then this EP is a must-own!
MARK V
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