aaamusic | On 19, Feb 2011

Crashed Out are a hard-to-define band. Coining their own genre of “street rock n roll”, they peddle a heady Molotov cocktail of street punk a la Rancid or Oxymoron mixed with no-nonsense heavy metal that leans on characters such as Motörhead. Having been kicking their bovver boots around the scene for 15 years, they are now releasing their fifth album, ‘Crash & Burn’.

Opener ‘Cut My Teeth On You’ feels like a punk offcut of Pantera’s finest, with thrilling guitarwork over lightspeed and relentlessly ferocious drumming, the pick scrapes, solos and riffs growling metal style, but the gritty vocals, gang call-and-response, and indeed the no-holds-barred attitude being pure street punk. Following on from this blistering opening is the rugged chug of ‘Save Amy’, an impassioned, barking anthem with tumbling drum thunder and a handle on dynamics that adds incredible dimension to the track. When it speeds, it jostles with adrenalin, and when it slows it tenses like a barbed-wire spring without losing the slightest hint of exhilaration.

‘No Fear’ is like a heavier, rough-cut Hanoi Rocks in its snotty good-times hedonistic attitude, although the aforementioned band could never sound this outright violent. What we’re given here is all the metal and mischievous sneer, but given a Doc Marten boot with a considerably heavier sound and chanted fist-pumping chorus, and ‘Feel Good’ is a decisive two-fingered salute to bad times, a singalong snarl of optimistic attitude recalling Rancid’s best we are strong and in this together songswriting.

As for ‘Battle Scarred’, it is a thunderous thrill ride of pure rock n roll excitement, a masterclass in playing loud and fast and with a real sense of purpose. Not a note is out of place, every cymbal clash and every crunching chord feeling necessary to propel the lyrical anti-war tirade. The sheer squalling chaos of the song as a whole is truly incredible to behold, a savage recreation of battle through rock music as the instruments clash against one another repeatedly.

The sleaze-drenched heavy metal attitude of ‘Son Of A Gun’ adds a whole new level of blast to the proceedings, a welcome yet by no means desperate change of pace from Stiff Little Fingers to Motörhead in its motorbike-oil-and-beer-soaked revelry and vocals that chase hot on the heels of Lemmy’s own finest hours. In contrast, ‘Just Call Me Jack’ is a hot slab of tense buildup leading to a rock n roll explosion that could only be a thrilling set opener as guitars and drums swirl with malicious intent before opening fire on a seething rocker of a track. The heartfelt bass-drum-driven roar of ‘Still A Fighter’ is the natural progression, stripped down in texture to allow the bones of the band’s sound to shine: the drums sound like several drummers at once in their thickly-layered presence, and the guitar leaps effortlessly from riff to riff from a platform of agile and melodic basslines. Top this off with impassioned vocals that tell the story of another kid who never did fit in all his life, and yes we have another anthemic track deserving of the name as it pumps the blood round the listener’s body at moshing speed.

Crashed Out are also thankfully aware of their oi! roots, with ‘Cushy Butterfield’ being the pub punk song of the moment, whisky-roughened vocals about a rather up for it young lady, and a lurching drunken attitude dragging a boozy bloke-ness to the foreground. But Crash & Burn also retain their subtleties, the following track ‘The Town That Died’ a moment of beautiful rock n roll introspection musing on the death of a town’s once-great life. Surprisingly heartfelt and well-written lyrics pour out soulfully, and the twin melody on guitar and bass caress the verses with mournful grace. No, Crashed Out don’t do quiet, but they can write a really powerful piece of restrained yet affecting socially aware punk rock to open your ears.

Then the have the blistering twosome of ‘Dare To Be Different’ and ‘The One And Only’ to close things with a bang the size of a nuclear bomb. I dare you to find fault with the scuttling moshpit groove of the former, and as for the latter, we have a countrified Social Distortion nod before one last song that feels perfect for the moment in the band’s gigs where the audience are pogoing in unison.

Crashed Out are a band that should be on every rocker’s radar. I don’t know how they’ve retained such a low profile since their 1995 formation, but with ‘Crash & Burn’, I would say they’ve created a real masterpiece of punk rock that could and should break out, as it echoes the best of not only Oxymoron and their companions, but The Wildhearts, Motörhead, and whoever else needs to be namechecked in order to persuade readers this is a fantastic release.

Author: Katie H-Halinski