THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE ZUGLY – RESEARCH AND DESTROY
The Nordics build up the palpable anticipation with a series of instruments doing their thing before finally unleashing full volley into the opening number What’s My Rage Again, which is fast, furious and mightily aggressive from every which way, channelling the inconsistent and phony anger people aim towards stupid things that don’t mean anything worthwhile.
The raucous guitar work and intense vocals are the key driving forces of Song For A Prepper, and the rhythm section is rumbling and crushing in Bridge And Tunnel Guy, while taking a shot at those who are smug, overly entitled and stuck up on their high horses, believing their opinions outmatches everyone else’s and their actions should go without consequence. The PKA has a catchy as hell chorus, and Nostradumbass is another contagiously hooking banger kicking to the curb those trying to control the outcome of your lives and force you down the wrong path against your will.
Diet 1-2-3 is a total blinder attaining to the difficulty of trying to develop a healthier lifestyle, especially with a wave of countless PT’s and other “fitness gurus” overwhelming you with the right way and the wrong way to do it. On top of dishing out a cracking solo in the middle, The Power Of Beer as expected tells about the downfall of a drunken night out thanks to the unpleasant results of too much booze.
The writing of One-Dimensional Man is among the most blunt and unfiltered yet, confronting those with very limited viewpoints and mindsets unwilling to change and be open to anything even remotely new or different, and how that’ll frustratingly keep society from properly developing and making progress.
The maniacal and off-the-wall Original Incel attacks the cretins who for whatever reason take pride in being the biggest a**hole on God’s green earth and believe they’re justified in treating others like crap, and lastly, Here Come The Waterworks focuses on people so trapped in their own bubbles that they can’t afford to face the world for the disaster that it is.
The hardcore punks blew me away back in 2020 with their previous album Algorithm & Blues – them becoming a serious candidate for my favourite Norwegian band in the process – and predictably, they’ve done the very same here. The guys strive in two fields in particular: churning out bloody great, explosively rip-roaring tunes that rock your senses right down to a pulp, while also throwing all their cards on the table and being unafraid to tackle social issues and expose the complete idiotic imbeciles damaging everyone and everything around them through their overwhelming self-entitlement, and as a result, it leads to Research And Destroy becoming a powerful potent and relevant record.
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SMALL MUSIC SCENE 