Wounds Album
Dublin punk mob Wounds have released a seriously hooky album; it's also raw and aggressive and packed with a dark "fuck it, we're gonna die one day anyway" attitude that gets you all pumped right from the excellent opening track, the frenetic yet cohesive and tuneful Killing Spree.
OK this is not groundbreaking stuff - gang backing vocals, frenzied screams, meaty but jagged riffs et al, but what Die Young does have is a fantastic groove, a devil may care vocal drawl and hooks aplenty. As we've said, opener Killing Spree drops you right into the storm with a punchy scream and heavy duty riffage to start, then a danceable beat backs up scream-along vocal lines, the album doesn't get predictable though. Take Dead Dead Fucking Dead which has a garage twang with some great scuzzy rock and roll guitars (reminiscent of contemporaries DZ Deathrays for example) and then No Future which mixes up punk with rock n roll for something more in the vein of The Bronx or perhaps the sludgier more theatrical tone of closer Dead Road; there's plenty of variety over the ten tracks, an indication, if needed, that this lot are in it for the long haul, although whether they can keep up this level of angst going forward is another matter.
Die Young is exciting and packs in tons of great tunes, if you like your music pissed off and jagged with room to boogie then this is the record for you. We're already interested to see where Wounds go next with their sound - this record brings in so many different elements that they could pretty much go in any direction they wanted.