Shock NagasakiFrom the bleak, grey skies of Syracuse, NY comes four punk-rockers who play late 70's influenced Brit rock. They have released a split 7" with Straitjacket (TKO), an EP titled "The First EP", which was privately released by the band. They also have appeared on some compilations and have put out some singles as well.
This is the album that Rebellion Records had released overseas a few months back. The only difference between the Euro version and this one is the layout. But yeah, anyway, these guys have been fine tuning and crafting these 12 songs since 2003. Many of them have actually already been released in one form or another. The opening track "1968", which is a staple of the band and has appeared on most of the material they have released and is fucking awesome. It reminds me a lot of the Sex Pistols. The song "Destination Nowhere" was actually the last song added to the album and was recorded in a mere 2 hours. The track features some acoustic guitars mixed with electric guitars with some brush drumming. Yes, it's a little more subdued than most of the tracks but it makes for a nice change of pace. Reminded me a lot of the U.S Bombs.
The album is relatively short but hey it's fucking punk. They slam through their 12 tracks under 30 minutes with the tracks ranging from 1:14-3:20 leaving little to be desired.
These guys are damn good in the lyrical department. Never once throughout the record do these guys come off as some mindless punkers with nothing worthwhile to say. These guys are a counter force against racism, injustice by the powers that be and just plain stupidity.
These guys decided to keep it local and recorded this album at Chameleon West Studios in Buffalo, NY. This album sounded huge for a punk album, the slight echo on the vocals is actually really effective and definitely gives those choruses a stadium like feel. The production does a fine job of keeping things raw without sacrificing too much quality. The guitar tone has a dry biting sound. The bass is solid, with enough presence to keep me happy and uses a very solid drum tone.
As I had mentioned previously, this album has a slightly different layout than it's European brothers. The theme of the layout is essentially the same, showing a "spy" making a call on a payphone. But the layout colors are yellow on the other and a lime green on this, the band logo also slightly differs making use of a nice English font. The booklet is quite hefty, dedicating a whole page to each song lyrically and using images that tie into the theme of the song. I just wish they would've incorporated some different colors other than the neon lime. The little blurp about what the band is about in the tray art was a nice touch though.
Rating: 3.5/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: 1968 and I Get High On Low Society
Thesis: Some solid brit-punk rock influenced material. Lyrics that are as forceful as they are intelligent, urging people to take a stand against racism and injustice. Good stuff.