Ferocious Dog – ‘Kleptocracy’ (Graphite Records)

By Jim Rowland

Nottinghamshire folk-punk merchants Ferocious Dog’s last album, 2021’s ‘The Hope’, debuted at Number One on the official ÜK & Ireland folk album charts and entered the national album charts at Number 31. With a new line-up and a harder, more err…ferocious approach, new album ‘Kleptocracy’ looks set to do even better.

With the new band members injecting a new energy into the music, resulting in a harder and faster approach to many of the tracks, ‘Kleptocracy’ is an album still firmly rooted in the band’s classic folk-punk sound whilst managing to encompass a range of sounds, styles, flavours and influences.

The belting opener ‘Witch Hunt’ is the kind of high energy, fast folk-punk you would expect from Ferocious Dog, with the likes of ‘Merthyr Rising’ and ‘Tell God and the Devil’ following along similar lines. ‘Iron Mike Malloy’ and ‘Brixton’s Burning’ inject a strong Pogues-esque Celtic vibe into that folk-punk template, with ‘Sus Laws’, ‘Kleptocracy’ and ‘Blood Soaked Shores’ heading in a slightly more rock direction.

Elsewhere, ‘Anger On The Streets’ is a guitar-heavy punk rock belter, ‘Darker Side Of Town’ has the rock’n’roll vibe of The Clash’s take on ‘Brand New Cadillac’, whilst ‘A Place We Call Home’ and ‘The Protest Singer’ provide respite from the frantic folk-punk with a softer, acoustic folky flavour.

Also worthy of note is the band’s great interpretation of the old English folk tune ‘Matty Groves’, made famous many moons ago by Fairport Convention, but here Ferocious Dog put their stamp all over it and give it a whole new lease of life.

‘Kleptocracy’ is a fine, fun and diverse collection of finely crafted and very well written, catchy songs oozing vibrant energy, and lyrically intelligent, touching on political and historical themes. The album is available on CD, deluxe CD (with four bonus songs), transparent red vinyl (exclusive from the band’s website), clear vinyl and all digital platforms.

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