Originally called Zamboni, the band decided to change their name at the last damn minute, which makes me glad that I decided to wait to review them. A band that I can immediately recall after hearing “Killer Croc! Hit him with a rock!” (Batman fan here) these New York/New Jersey punk/thrashers actually caught my attention with this debut album, which had been riddled with delays and personal dilemmas. The band itself is rife with drama, so it's good to see that they managed to get something out, even if it was two years later than originally planned. You see, the recording began in 2014, but it hasn't released until now which is quite odd because this is only about twenty minutes of material. It's the same length as one of their EP's to be honest, but is still interesting. Crawling out of the ashes of thrash act Obliterator, Robert Orr seems to carry that same thrash mentality here, except watered down a little more for a more in-your-face punk approach. Chris Butera handles the vocals here in just that sort of fashion, with a real middle finger in the air sort of vibe that lends it's way to powerful punk anthems. I don't usually like punky stuff, but this is one time that I'm actually a bit interested. The one thing that you'll notice about these guys is that they sound a bit classic and don't opt for the pop-punk emo crap stuff we've got these days. We do get some pretty heated guitar solos, and even though the drums are programmed, it's really tough to tell. They've got a good software program to make for such an authentic sounding kit and that's surprising as you can normally tell when the drums are programmed. When you pop in this disc, it'll hit you hard. It's not overly brutal, but it's definitely full of aggression and perhaps some comedy as well. Themes for wrestlers, zombies, supervillains and other such meanderings appear on this record, which shows that these guys have obvious dedication to their craft and will only get more refined with time. If they're able to release another recording at some point. It might be 2034 before we hear another one of these, so I wish these guys luck with the new moniker and what does feel like a proper release. Though they think of themselves as the most awful band of all time, I'm sure none of these guys have heard Cat O' Nine Tails Records biggest secret, Flowers Of Disgust – the literal worst band of all time. Though admittedly, I like them as well. Just can't get over song titles like “Man In Hot Dog Quandary.” That being said, give the record a listen and please try to support this act, which barely even got it off the presses.
(9 Tracks, 21:00)
7/10
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