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Turbonegro

TURBONEGRO
‘Sexual Harassment’
(Volcom)
www.turbonegro.com

TURBONEGRO_sexual_harrassment_album_artAlmost fifteen years have passed since Turbonegro released ‘Apocalypse Dudes’, a record dubbed by none other than Jello Biafra as “possibly the most important European record ever.” High praise, indeed – and it is an awesome record. Equally impressive, though, is the fact that the Norwegian death-punks are still around, with their long history of drug addictions and personnel changes hopefully behind them.

The departure of long-standing frontman Hank Von Helvete could well have been the final straw for the band, but ‘Sexual Harrassment’ is as superb a comeback as the Turbojugend faithful could hope for. New vocalist Tony Sylvester’s gravel-throated roar lends a raw edge to the frenetic punk rock attack of ‘I Got A Knife’ and ‘Hello Darkness’, whilst the wonderfully-titled ‘Shake Your Shit Machine’ is as fine a slice of bar-room boogie as they’ve ever produced. Musically, there are no great departures from the Turbonegro of old, but the quality of the songs here is undeniable – with the call-and-response chorus of ‘TNA (The Nihilistic Army)’ sure to go down a storm live, and the bizarre spoken-word outro of ‘Dude Without A Face’ proving that these old dogs can still throw a curve ball or two.

No, it’s not quite ‘Apocalypse Dudes’, but this is arguably Turbonegro’s finest and most adrenalized record in a decade. They’ll be playing the Lock-Up stage at this year’s Reading/Leeds festivals, before returning in November for the following dates:

Thu 22nd – London Electric Ballroom
Fri 23rd – Manchester Academy 2
Sat 24th – Glasgow King Tuts

Alex Gosman

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Feed The Rhino

FEED THE RHINO
The Burning Sons
In At The Deep End Records
www.feedtherhino.co.uk


When a band describes themselves as ‘Loud as fuck,’ and is known for insane live shows it’s a pretty clear indication that some serious slaying is about to take place on record. And as Feed The Rhino’s ‘Burning Sons’ roars into action with ‘Flood The System‘, the faint hearted should hide away from the stampede that’s inevitably about to take place.

Instantly the sincere heaviness of the record hits you with the force of a freight train, Lee Tobin’s ferocious vocals lead the way for a crushing assault whilst Chris Kybert’s intense work behind the kit pounds your ears drums. But it’s the grooving guitar work and bass lines that separates ‘Burning Sons’ from the ever growing pile of metal and hardcore cross over bands. Riffs that are tinged Southern Hardcore flair places homegrown Feed The Rhino alongside honorable names such as Every Time I Die and Cancer Bats.

Before the intensity of the album gets a bit much, Feed The Rhino mix things up with a moody, down-tempo number, ‘Razor‘. The track could easily fall into place on a Mastodon or Baroness record. This is where Feed The Rhino really shine. When experimenting with a more dynamic format, such as on ‘Tides’, listeners are treated to a truly thorough performance.

Slightly more variety and perfected production would have seen ‘Burning Sons’ go down as a masterpiece, unfortunately this time around Feed The Rhino have just fallen short of a classic. However the band have still delivered a valiant effort that will surely take their live show to the next level with such powerful new guns being added to their already heavy arsenal.

WORDS: EMMA WALLACE

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Poison Idea

Poison Idea/strong>
The Fatal Erection Years
Southern Lord

Southern Lord have come up with a treat on this monster collection of early Poison Idea, that collates their ’83 debut ‘Pick Your King’ EP, ‘84’s ‘Record Collectors Are Pretentious Assholes’ LP, compilation tracks, and then a 20 song live set from ’83, in their hometown, Portland, Oregon.

The 13 tracks on ‘Pick Your King’ barely shade a minute average running time and are plain fucken blitzkrieg, fire and anger, slashing guitar lines and in singer Jerry A’s a true heavyweight of boiling over barked belligerence…. a genuine classic record… then, now and forever. Period.

P.I. followed up with the snappily titled ‘Record Collectors Are Pretentious Assholes’ album, 8 tracks of ferocious heaviness that were a step up from their earlier material, and brutally fused the primal energy of The Germs, early ‘Flag, D.C. Hardcore, fused with the filth and power of Discharge and GBH. The encroaching shadow of Motörhead was never too far away, as a creeping metallic edge took root. And the cover of the LP was true a Punk collector’s wet dream, with a stack of guitarist Pig Champions prized vinyl on display.

The compilation tracks are ‘Laughing Boy‘ from the ‘Drinking is Great’ EP, and P.I.’s 3 tracks from the Pushead compiled ‘Cleanse The Bacteria’ album, a 1985 collection of new/fresh worldwide Hardcore. Their ripping Stooges cover ‘I Gotta Right’ was included on a bonus 12” that accompanied the first pressing. I’ve still got mine, righteous vinyl!

And, to close, a live set that is just what you’d hope P.I. would be nailing it like in ’83, rabid and pissed, hateful and loud. It ends with one of my favourite songs ‘Marked for Life’, that would eventually surface on the ‘War All The Time’ album, in ’87.

No shit, this remains some of the most raging Punk committed to vinyl, and the legend of these hallowed records continue to be passed to subsequent generations of young Punks. They’ve suffered tragedies, bust-ups and mishaps along the way, but singer Jerry A is still out there doing it. Not giving it up.

WORDS: PETE CRAVEN

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Of Mice and Men

OF MICE & MEN
The Flood (Deluxe 2 Disc Re-Issue)
(Rise Records)
http://www.facebook.com/ofmice

Southern California’s Of Mice & Men are constantly growing in popularity. The band -who are currently on the Vans Warped Tour- have quenched fans’ thirst for new material with a 2 disc deluxe re-issue of their critically acclaimed album ‘The Flood’ featuring 4 new tracks.

The bonus tracks start with a tantalizing instrumental piece ‘The Calm’. The reverberating clean guitars are a beautiful yet eerie experience to behold, clearly implying the saying ‘The calm before the storm’…

As ‘The Storm’ picks up tempo, Austin Carlile’s strained and emotional screams kick start a typical ballsy Of Mice & Men riff. On the original release of ‘The Flood’, ‘Ben Threw’ and ‘Ohioisonfire’ showed Of Mice & Men’s capability to produce intense riffs and rhythms whilst maintaining an underlying bounce, but they are nothing in comparison to the punishing assault of third bonus track, ‘The Flood’ and final new number, ‘The Depths’. It seems that after the departure of Shayley Bourget, clean vocals have been left to one side with the band focusing on a new level of heaviness.

Presented with flowing continuity, the bonus tracks are an impeccable addition to ‘The Flood’. The production of the tracks is highly commendable in its own right, the magnitude of the atmospherics are on the same level as Bring Me The Horizon’s ‘There Is a Hell, Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is a Heaven, Let’s Keep it a Secret’. With its new additions, the re-issue can be appreciated by fans from across the metal spectrum with influential elements of artists such as The Devil Wears Prada, We Came As Romans, Pierce The Veil & even Slipknot shining through.

If first time around, ‘The Flood’ begged to differ that metalcore was a dying art, the re-issue demolishes any ideas that the genre is dated and builds a platform from which Of Mice & Men can dominate the current scene. The flood is coming again.

Words: Emma Wallace

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The Gaslight Anthem

THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM
Handwritten
(Mercury Records)

‘Handwritten’ is more of a natural evolution than ground-breaking revolution for The Gaslight Anthem, with not a great deal changing sound or format wise. But this is no criticism as again the band presents another solid album that portrays their All-American Rock’n’Roll/Post-Punk style.

With a mixture of Bruce Springsteen charisma and Hot Water Music emotive rock, title track ‘Handwritten’ and first single from the album ‘45’ are nostalgic perfection. There is something about The Gaslight Anthem ‘s vintage sounding guitar tone that touches the heart and sends the mind back to a time and age that not many of us have visited.

The main area of evolution for the band is the lyrical content which appears more open, personal and engaging. A perfect example of the lyrical maturity coming at the end of the album, the beautifully captivating acoustic track ‘National Anthem’ is the definitive moment of the record and the perfect conclusion. Brain Fallon claims to have written the song in one take, yet again demonstrating his unrivaled song writing talent and emotional awareness.

You can always trust in The Gaslight Anthem to deliver but although ‘Handwritten’ is bloody good, it seems nothing will quite match their second (and mainstream breakthrough) full-length ‘The ’59 Sound’. Despite ‘Handwritten’ hosting its own potentially stadium filling anthems and vintage gems, ‘The ’59 Sound’ still remains the bands’ strongest effort to date, arguably this may remain the same for a long time, after all you can’t beat perfection.

Words: Emma Wallace

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Purity Ring

PURITY RING
Shrines
(4AD)
www.purityringsongs.com

A surprising entry straight into this writer’s Top 5 albums of the year so far, upon first listen, Purity Ring may seem like one of those average electronic-based, female-fronted, indie-leaning acts that seem to be popping up all over the place. However, their debut album is one that will make you fall hook, line and sinker for them after just a couple of listens. The ethereal vocals and unpredictable accompanying synth-led sounds are pieced together in such a way that the catchiest of hooks seem totally unobvious and organic yet will be stuck in your head for days.

Save for one track which we think interrupts the pure brilliance of the rest of the record with its disappointing musical arrangement (‘Cartographist’ – why are you not at the end of the record?!) each and every song on this album is a work of glitchy, catchy brilliance, underpinned with a throbbing urgency and littered with slightly disturbing lyrics, erring on the nonsensical. Crawlersout, Belispeak and Obedear mark just a few of the moments of excellence and work well as markers of sheer songcraft as they’re placed strategically throughout the record. Purity Ring are every bit as intriguing and accomplished as the first tracks they’ve released have led everyone to believe. One act that surely live up to the underground hype and should certainly burst out of their ‘scene’ in impressive style.

Sarah Maynard

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JOIA

JOIA
Match Light
(self release)
www.facebook.com/joiaofficial

We are fans of the independent here at Crossfire and Joia are eager to get their music out there on their own. In fact, their debut EP will be made available for download entirely free of charge on 16th July. The eponymous lead track ‘Match Light’ expertly marries the downbeat with a more uplifting pre-chorus leading into a chorus that you can’t help but sing along to. We defy you to not have the “sunshiiiiine” melody in your head after hearing the song just once.

Singer Athina’s vocal penetrates the assured instrumentals with its soft melodious quality, resulting in a perfect balance of lilting guitars and sheer melodic delight. This is definitely one for when you’re feeling a bit melancholy, but it’s not without its glimmers of light, as the EP’s title alludes to. These guys are ones to watch, that’s for sure.

Sarah Maynard

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Gnarwolves

GNARWOLVES
CRU
(Tangled Talk / Day By Day)

gnarwolves_cru

Pop-punk in the most old-school of senses (well maybe not the *most* old school, but not the namby pamby new-school), Gnarwolves’ debut EP is packed with short, sharp nuggets of riotous goodness. Barely stepping over the punk-rock two minute marker with this sextet of tracks, the slightly gruff vocals are earnest and rousing. You can imagine them inciting a drunken singalong of the highest order.

Despite being short in length, there is nothing throwaway about these tracks. Rather they’re anthemic and heaped with raw emotion. In a good way. Guitars rollick along to a joyous drumbeat until ‘Community, Stability, Identity’ breaks things up with a decidedly slower pace, starting off with an eerie sense of quiet and then crashing into a full-on onslaught of instrumentals; it’s reminiscent of something off Weezer’s Pinkerton.

The perfect marriage of party and poignancy is achieved on this EP which harks back to early Saves The Day and Hot Water Music with a dash of something a tad more modern. A cracking debut.

Sarah Maynard

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Pierce The Veil

PIERCE THE VEIL
Collide With The Sky
(Fearless Records)

Don’t let the screaming and synths put you off. Pierce The Veil have crafted an album with a depth of sound and intricate melodies that you can totally get lost in. Singer Vic’s vocals soar above searing guitars and pummeling drumbeats but there are interludes of quiet amongst the full-on noise. The overwhelmingly heavy instrumentals are offset by the sheer melody of the vocals throughout although there’s admittedly the odd background scream here and there to keep the intensity up.

The riff on ‘Bulls In The Bronx’ is ballsy and bold, leading into a catchy melodic chorus punctuated with a guttural growl. A bizarre acoustic guitar picked interlude brings a samba-influenced flavor to proceedings before building back into the heaviness. Production is intense throughout this record, with the sound always feeling very big. There are also several guest spots on the album, the most notable being Jason Aalon from letlive. on the truly epic centrepoint ‘Tangled In The Great Escape’. His slightly deeper melodies intertwine with Vic’s higher pitched vocals to create something quite special. The chorus is one of the catchiest on the record yet unassumingly so and elegantly put together. It’s almost six minutes long and a lot happens in that time. Heavy and gracefully beautiful in twists and turns (see the piano epilogue), this is definitely a standout track.

With proggy, screamo, hardcore and punk elements, along with PTV’s unique ability to bring in the unusual instrumentals, this album is an ambitious and impressive effort.

Sarah Maynard

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The Skints

‘PART AND PARCEL’
(Bomber Music)

Four school friends from East London with a shared love of traditional ska, reggae and punk, The Skints delivered a great (and, alas, underrated) debut in 2010’s ‘Live, Breathe, Build, Believe’. ‘Part And Parcel’, though, is a record that won’t be so easily brushed aside – mainly because it’s just too damn good.

They band have come a long way in the last two years, now placing more emphasis on reggae and less on ska-punk. However, the gritty edges haven’t been smoothed over, and the delivery is still razor-sharp; witness singer/guitarist Joshua Waters Rudge’ dazzlingly fast flow on ‘Live East, Die Young’, a catchy yet downbeat tale of local folks who took a few wrong turnings in life and paid the price.

That said, ‘Part And Parcel’ is not all tales of troubled times. Co-vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Marcia Richards deservedly takes centre stage more often, lending her soulful tones to ‘Ring Ring’, a love song laden with tinkling piano and trebly, sctatchy guitar straight out of the ‘60s. Elsewhere, the sweet harmonies and choruses of ‘Lay You Down’ and ‘Can’t Take No More’ will lodge themselves in your head – and you’ll be grateful.

Just like Capdown and The King Blues before them, The Skints are the latest in a long line of great British bands providing a strong message for the mind and a beat for the feet. In particular, if ‘Rub-A-Dub (DoneKnow)’ doesn’t get you dancing, youd be well advised to check your pulse.

‘Part And Parcel’ may owe a lot of its inspiration to the best of Jamaican music, but this is unmistakeably a London record, and easily a contender for one of the best of 2012. The band will be doing a full UK tour in October, and will play several gigs /festivals/other bits n’ bobs in the meantime – check www.theskints.co.uk for more info.

Alex Gosman