By Jim Rowland
Alternative punks Spunk Volcano & The Eruptions have been touring, recording and causing punk rock mayhem for over nine years now, gaining a reputation as a beast of a band along the way. Indeed they have been beloved of these Über pages for pretty much all that time. And it’s not hard to see why on the strength of their incendiary new album ‘Knackers Yard’, the band’s sixth full length effort.
There’s a lot of variety across the album, showing that Spunk Volcano & The Eruptions are anything but a one trick punk rock pony. The brilliantly titled ‘I Am A Capsule’ and ‘Pit Bull Facelift’ echo the influence of the likes of GBH and Discharge in a UK82 full tilt punk frenzy, with the likes of ‘Knackers Yard’, ‘Menky Men’, ‘Morphine’ and the CD only bonus track ‘Shit Stirrers and Scaremongers’ all punk bruisers with an added metallic crunch.
Indeed the six minute epic ‘Madhouse’ veers even more in a metal direction, while ‘It’s All Kicking Off’, ‘Job Opportunity’ and ‘My Tears Get Washed Away’ are catchy-as-fuck punky pop belters strong on melody and strong in the song writing department. And talking of strong in the song writing department, the album’s two most left field tracks, ‘Mordrake’ and ‘Dead and the Mirror’, are both slower, menacing, powerful and lyrically more serious affairs that illustrate what a seriously good tune this band is capable of writing. Both are real highlights.
It all adds up to another seriously good album, and proof positive that Spunk Volcano & the Eruptions are a very long way off from being ready for the Knackers Yard.
- ‘Knackers Yard’ is released tomorrow (Friday 1 July). You can get your copy HERE.
- Spunk Volcano & the Eruptions play The Fleece in Bristol, supporting Anti-Nowhere League, on Friday 29 July and the Club Casbah stage at Rebellion festival in Blackpool on Friday 5 August.
- All content © Über Rock. Not to be reproduced in part or in whole without the express written permission of Über Rock.