By John Bedard
Punk rock is one of those things that I either really love or really hate. I don’t often find that there is a middle ground. Either it is badass and gets me pumped or it is noise that I can’t stand to be in the room with. It always elicits strong feelings. So, going into this the question is always the same: will I love it or hate it? Well, I won’t make you wait too long for the answer. I loved it. Honestly, one of my favourite punk albums I have heard in a while. One that stands out in my mind for sure and will for a long time.
The whole tone of the album is strongly rooted in punk rock. Vocals are exactly what you would expect. Shouted, heavy-hitting, and rough but in a good way. I have no idea how anyone can sing like that and not destroy their voice but I am glad better people in the world than I figured it out. While I cannot speak to the lyrics as this Kentucky boy barely speaks English, I thoroughly enjoyed the delivery. Especially how they at times contrast the typical shouted vocal with a more spoken style adding layers to the experience. Every line is delivered with passion and perfectly complements the instrumentation.
Moving on to the music. My compliments follow much the same route. Everything has a heavy distortion that has more of an old-school tube overdrive feel to it rather than a modern overdrive tone. Exactly as you would expect but with just a bit more to make the experience stand out. There is nothing repetitive about any track. They are perpetually breaking out into little solos and while every track and note feels like it belongs together every second feels unique giving a great evolution to the whole experience. Then at the end of the last track, they close with similar notes to the ones they opened the first track with wrapping the whole experience in a perfect little package.
Personally, I would say this is a must-listen for the genre. I have had a lot of fun with my time listening, I just wish I knew the language to sing along. Probably for the best though I would destroy my voice. You owe it to yourself to check this one out. You won’t regret it and honestly, I think your music library is incomplete without it. I love it.
- ’Napalmia Korville’ is released on 26 March. You can get your copy HERE.
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