When a band advertises themselves as “throwing melodic punk, thrash metal, martial arts and Jimmy Barnes into the pit, with no rules, no ref and no care for the victor!”, you’ll get a sense of a band who value fun as much as musical prowess. Although it’s not entirely clear how one of Australia’s national heroes actually figures in Judo CHOP!’s work, the rest of those descriptors are a fairly good fit for five of the six tracks that make up their ‘Cosmic’ EP.
For a band who’ve previously gone straight for a riff-based attack, this release takes a surprising turn at first, with the title cut presenting a slow burner of an intro. Droning sounds gradually materialise, giving no clue as to where things are headed. Then, introducing sampled voices, the band drops the unsuspecting listener into a malfunctioning spacecraft, with transmissions thrown out into the void, then, ‘Oceania’ introduces a melodic guitar line where circular notes fuse alternative rock sounds with a pinch of emo. The arrival of the drums brings finally the expected speed, and Judo CHOP! throw themselves headlong into a furious punk banger where the skate elements of Strike Anywhere collide with the metallic twin lead guitar obsessions of early Sum 41, with even more of a classic 80s metal edge. Somewhere around the end of an especially shouty first verse, the number asserts itself as classic CHOP!, even before the huge guitar riff has been given the opportunity to truly embed itself. It’s safe to say if you’re already familiar with the band and have enjoyed previous works, then you’ll love this.
‘Fearless’ takes a brief moment to reflect with the sound of a heartbeat and the click of a camera, and then explodes into another barrage of riffs that sit squarely between skate punk and melodic metal. The Aussie accents tip the hat to Frenzal Rhomb, but musically, things sound more like a collision between Pennywise and No Use For A Name. This, naturally, provides a great showcase for some particularly tight guitar lines, and as before, a very retro twin lead provides a strong core to the band’s thrash-based assault. Despite occasionally feeling indistinguishable from the previous number, the combination of sharp lead work and enthusiastic vocal results in a track that – especially if approached as a stand-alone listen – shows off Judo CHOP!’s sense of force with a relative ease. Introducing more of a mechanical rhythm, the introduction to ‘Stranded’ presents a much bigger drum sound, but as things progress, JC’s beloved twin leads and skate oriented rhythms shift to the forefront. As before, this works on the principle that this is a classic sound for the band, but if you’re lending a closer ear, a bigger concession to harmony vocals gives this short and punchy workout more of a melodic edge.
A remix of the 2023 single ‘Conquer’ makes an already enjoyable track sound a little brighter, bringing out more of a pleasingly busy bassline, before the huge guitar sound brings forth welcome memories of melodic hardcore/skate bands like Strike Anywhere and Chaser. In line with ‘Stranded’, the bigger harmony vocals celebrate the great 90s sounds of No Use For A Name, showing Judo CHOP to be a step ahead of a lot of punky “noisemakers”, even if their influences are flaunted with the subtlety of a mallet. The core sound might be familiar, but the punk is served with a real energy, and the addition of a slightly gruffer rock infused vocal that brings more of a Propagandhi influence to the fore is a nice touch. Stretching out to a full six minutes for an epic finish, ‘Parasite’ allows for even more metallic guitar work without diluting the melodic punk, and Judo CHOP’s mix of big harmonies, gang vocal interjections and Aussie tinged lead vocal sounds truly assured. Via a lengthy lead guitar break, there are nods to thrash metal, and when closing with more of a melodic hardcore influenced breakdown, this very much shows how the band can stretch out musically and still convey a great sound.
Being a little critical, there’s not always a great variety between these songs, but in terms of playing, it’s hard to find fault with these Aussie lads. Across the bulk of ‘Cosmic’s tightly wound nineteen minutes, the drums thunder with minimal let up, and the band’s love for 80s influenced twin lead guitar sounds pulled from Iron Maiden LPs then sped up considerably provides a huge amount of entertainment. By ofteb sounding like a punkier Curbside or No Use For A Name drenched in an Australian accent, the material comes with some fairly huge balls, and by closing thd EP with a barrage of whoahs over a tough sounding hardcore breakdown, they know they’ve left the listener with something that’s memorable. For those who love melodic and skate punk, this is worth hearing, even with a few more obvious metallic tendencies creeping in.
May 2025
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