Britain's Punked up!
It's a welcome return from the Manchester Punks since their previous Street Punk release of 2008's Mutiny, which I gave 13/13. Since then the band have toured the world which included a stadium show in Russia, and being one of the first Western Rock Bands to play a show (headline) in Algeria for 20 years. Guitarist Skullknuckles left the band and was replaced by Andy Taylor, and band leader, John Robb also reformed his previous band, the legendary Punk outfit, Membranes.
Goldblade bring forth a more harsh and Hardcore sound that borders on a more traditional Punk Rock, rather than the slightly more sing-a-long Rock'n'Roll influenced Street Punk of their last offering. Opening track, This is War! bounds out of the blocks with a deep and dirty bassline, whilst the guitars jump in melodically before chugging into the verse. At one point John repeats, "I've just got to get out of here // I've just got to get out of here // I've just got to get out of here" very reminiscent of Alice Cooper's desperate vocals in The Ballad Of Dwight Fry. There is a slice of Punk'N'Roll in Psycho Takes A Holiday, and the band's tongues are firmly in their cheeks as they suggest unity in the Government fun-poke of, We're All In It together.
Someone Stole My Brain is an example of something that the Sex Pistols may well have written with deep basslines, and guitars that border on Metal, and mad vocals dancing over the top. Then Sick/Tired is the most Rancid-esque track here. There is a bottle of charm in the Punk-Jig of The World Is Fucked Up Nowadays that taunts you like pointing fingers, whilst making you want to jiggle around like you have caught something unpleasant. The Shaman Are Coming is a nod at The Clash, whilst you have that true Punk grounding in the Two-Tone influenced Dub Reggae of Serious Business. This underlines the integrity of the band that fully understand their genre; a band that isn't pretending but living the life of the aforementioned music.
With the reunion of The Membranes, John Robb has been understandably distracted from full Goldblade focus, which is to say nothing of the hundred-and-one other things that he is involved in. The Terror Of Mordern Life is not quite as accessible as Mutiny, but then Street Punk has shown a real decline in the past few years, as the more traditional Punk is unleashed again – and I'm sure the economic decline, the lost political confidence and an unsure future of now mirroring these same snapshots of the 1970's & 1980's is no coincidence. This is a good solid album that whilst is Punk rock, draws enough other influences to remain current and interesting.