Alarm ! : "s/t"

 This Swedish punk band features former members of Victims. They are in your face playing a rather straightforward version of the hyper-aggressive genre that hits you with their manic energy from the start. A little goes a long way when it comes to this brand of no-frills thrashing. The prominent rumble of bass creates a somewhat Motorhead-like sound, but these guys are happy to just rage head first at you. The vocals are screamed in a manner that begins to feel like a one-trick pony three songs in. This can be typical of punk music, but I expect a little more from seasoned musicians. 

"Scare Game" brings a little more nuance to the table, thanks to the stellar bass playing. But the overall feel is very much the same temper tantrum we have heard in the first three songs as well. This song does work its way into a more sonic breakdown where the tempo changes but can only hope to hear this expanded upon as the album unfolds. "For Lost Times" is not really breaking new ground here. There are marginally more sonic touches in the blitz of guitars. I  like that bass is featured so prominently in these songs creating a heavier feel. 'Ancient Cycles' is the first song where they go into a darker crustier place and it makes me wish they had been on this path since the beginning. The deliberate lumbering also makes this the longest song at under four minutes. 

There is more tension and dynamics to "Me and Failure" though the vocals have begun to get tedious at this point in the album. However, I appreciate the overall sound in its more apocalyptic stomp.     Their bassist leads the way into "the Loop" which pounds with more brooding anger. This is the sonic path I enjoy. The vocals shift into a more sneering singing style with color to it. The last song is a minute of punk anger, there is a time and a place for this but it is more of a sound than a song.  I will give this album an 8.5, the strength of this band is when they lean into their crustier side, this is offset but the punk recklessness,  it balances out though I am unsure if it will lure me personally in for more listens but appreciate what they have done here. If you are a fan of the more feral strains of punk you might enjoy this even more.It drops on June 14th  

 

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