If The Cavemen are any indication, punk rock is alive and well in New Zealand. On this third album from the raw and wild rockers, the band bring the most primitive aspects of the genre into a ferocious and highly energetic and combustible listen that, well, sounds like it could soundtrack the night prior to a stint in jail.
The bristling effort starts off with the charged and wild “Lust For Evil,” which brings in influences from ’77 style punk and ’80s garage rock for an explosive affair, and “Criminal Love” continues that energy with reckless guitar solos and a seething sound. “Janey” then takes a turn into a more melodic sound with some background harmonizing that will be sure to get your toe tappin’ and your head bobbin’.
“Batshit Crazy,” one of the album highlights, brings in tambourines and organs and yelped vocals straight out of the Ian Svenonius (Nation Of Ulysses, The Make-Up) handbook, while “Chernobyl Baby” is straight up old-school punk, the kind that littered Southern California in the early ’80s (think Battalion Of Saints).
The second half of the album continues the formula, with some notably deviations being the very Ramones-ish “Thug,” which is one of only four tunes that hits the two- minute mark, while “Gimme Beer Or Gimme Death” takes nods at Sid Vicious and Darby Crash, though unlike the two legends in question, The Cavemen are choosing the liquid, thankfully.
The Cavemen are a band that bring the party, the brawl and the debauchery with them. How do they have so much spare time for such hedonism? Well, 13 tunes in just over 20 minutes sure leaves them enough of it, but don’t think for a second that they don’t take their music seriously, ’cause this is some top notch music that’s not for the timid and designed for the uninhibited.
