THE RADIO BUZZKILLS – The Quick And The Cheap EP

radio buzzkills epDo you ever find yourself harking back to the days of punk pop that actually sounded punky instead of shiny, emo or whiny? Look no further. In their own words, Saint Louis punkers The Radio Buzzkills sound like “a love letter to Screeching Weasel” on their 2016 EP ‘The Quick and The Cheap’. They’ve also shared stages with The Queers so, given those two facts, you’ll know exactly what you’re getting here…and obviously fun is very high on the agenda.

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DOT DASH – Searchlights

searchlights lp‘Searchlights’ is Dot Dash‘s fifth album in as many years. It’s hardly surprising the Washington-based garage rockers have been so prolific when you consider that this – their contribution to 2016 – was recorded in just two days. These fifteen songs musically hark back to the days of the UK’s burgeoning post-punk scene and the US’s college rock underground – and for fans of The Jam, The Vapors and middle period Replacements, this album should rattle a few memories and get the adrenaline pumping.

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EVIL REBORN – Throne Of Insanity

erlp2016Formed in 2012, Venezuela’s Evil Reborn play a brilliantly constructed form of melodic death metal crossed with the heaviest strands of groove metal. Their third release, ‘Throne of Insanity’ – their first for Russian extreme metal specialists Satanath Records – is a belter. It might not be particularly original, but in terms of what Evil Reborn do, you’ll be hard pressed to find it done any better. Across the album’s nine tracks, the riffs are enormous, the amount of bottom end crunch is equally as ferocious and frontman Victor Chaparro settles upon a vocal style which – much like Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe – retains just enough clarity among the growls not to be an instant turn off.

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HIGHRIDER – Armageddon Rock EP

highrider epSweden isn’t short of rock bands. Few, however, rock in the manner of Highrider, Their debut EP, ‘Armageddon Rock’ takes cues from various familiar sources, musically closer to In Flames at times than anything else, while vocally, things lean more towards hardcore. The resultant sounds won’t necessarily be to everyone’s tastes, but so often show a band very capable of taking a few key influences and doing more than just recycling them. On these four tracks, it’s fair enough to say that Highrider spit those influences out somewhat venomously and in their own distinct way.

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