Here's the debut full-length from this extremely young looking Swedish band who plays a very rocked out form of hardcore/punk with a dual vocal attack of fierce screams backed by even higher screams, and they actually manage to come across without sounding generic, which is really cool. Rock 'n' roll influences may be a very typical influence for a lot of hardcore/punk bands today, but these kids aren't rehashing typical 70's rock chord progressions or anything at all. Sure, every now and then a little of that will pop up, but the overall feel is much more of a modern spin on such classic fare, with a decent amount of melodic licks and some really nice lead work that seems a little tongue-in-cheek at times but does indeed add to the songs. "En Ny Generation St?veltramp" is among the faster and more energetic tracks in terms of relentless vocal attacks and driving rhythms with a good sense for transitions, "Ett Liv Som F?nge" seems sparser at times but borders on some catchy elements and just has a different kind of sound than many of the other songs, while "F?rdummad Av Status" is another fast 'n' fierce number with a good blend of hardcore and rock influences for another energetic and memorable minute-long blast of material. The production is pretty good in my opinion. I think they should turn up the bass since the guitars aren't all that thick, but the drums sound good, they do a good job of balancing the vocals and the guitars, etc. The guitar tone works pretty well for the rocked out nature of their riffing, too. The layout is all done in black and white with lots of collaged photos and a cover that clearly mocks the "Appetite for Destruction" artwork. The lyrics are a mix of Swedish and English and song explanations are included throughout. Despite standard attacks on cops, war, and that kind of thing, the only thing that annoys me about the lyrics are tracks like "Scouting the Target, Planning the Action" that are all amped up on "The Anarchist Cookbook" and encouraging people to take action and pose a "threat to society", which just seems immature and falsely idealistic to me (especially since sometimes their sense of humor isn't as clear on such topics). But other than that they do have some good ideas in place, and the content seems sincere. Not bad. I definitely dig the sense of creativity in their riffing style and overall approach, it's just that the songwriting isn't all that memorable or powerful to me at the moment, but as they grow into their chosen niche I think they'll progress nicely on that front.
[Cage Match Federation]
Running time - 20:58, Tracks: 13
[Notable tracks: En Ny Generation St?veltramp, Ett Liv Som F?nge, F?rdummad av Status]
Cage Match Federation - http://www.wastedsounds.com
