CKY – An Answer Can Be Found

I’ve never really been a particularly big fan of CKY, however have in the past have found some of their tracks to be vaguely enjoyable. I didn’t really know what to expect from this album as some of what I have heard of this band has been really dull so was unsure as to whether the band would shine through or slowly fade into obscurity with this new full length. Sadly, the band seems to fade away with an album devoid of any particularly memorable tracks.

If you take stoner rock, combine it with Metallica laden guitar riffs then you will get somewhere close to the sound of CKY. I don’t consider myself to be a massive fan of Metallica, however I will give them the credit of being a hell of a lot better than CKY are on this album. They take the riffs, but they just don’t pull it off in the way that Metallica do – their music here lacks energy and just drones along, never really getting close to being at all exciting to listen to. Having listened to this album a few times all the way through, I can honestly say that no tracks have stood out to me. Sitting through the entirety of this album was a chore – the band really is boring and I fail to see how anyone could possibly get enjoyment out of listening to it.

The band are signed to Island, however I somehow doubt that they would even be signed to a remotely major label if their drummer wasn’t the brother of TVs mad man Bam Margera. Sure, the band has never got massive but it’s not because they haven’t had the opportunity – it’s because their music is awful. I advise you to steer well clear of this album – they may have famous links but it doesn’t change the fact that their music is dire.

Label: Mercury Records
Release Date: July 4th 2005

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The Suicide Machines – War Profiteering Is Killing Us All

The Suicide Machines are a band that have been around for a long old time now and in their time the band have released from amazing albums, seemingly getting better and better at what they do as time has progressed. They have released five albums before ‘War Profiteering Is Killing Us All,’ the last of which being 2003s classic, and their Side One Dummy debut ‘A Match and Some Gasoline.’ The band seem to have upped the ante since the last time round, and in doing so have arguably recorded one of their best albums to date. ‘Battle Hymns’ will inevitably always be my favourite Suicide Machines album as it really is a classic, however this new album certainly comes close.

There are some great tracks on this album, with songs such as ‘Hands Tied,’ ‘Ghost on Sunset Strip,’ and ‘Nuclear Generators’ really standing out. In fairness, there aren’t any songs on this album that aren’t really good, but for me these are just the tracks that stand out the most when I listen to this album. ‘Nuclear Generators’ I found to be particularly interesting as it really does push the boundaries of Ska and Hardcore, blending the two genres perfectly and as a result coming up with an awesome track. ‘Hands Tied’ reminds me of ‘High Anxiety’ with its upbeat Ska feel, however I feel that it is a far superior track as it feels much more natural this time. The upbeat nature of ‘High Anxiety’ seemed a bit too forced for my liking, making it overly cheesy – but ‘Hands Tied’ works really well, sounding amazing from start to finish.

The CD is given the perfect finale with the incredible track ‘95% Of The World Is Third World’ and it really does end the album off in style. Much like opener ‘War Profiteering Is Killing Us All’ it is full of bite and fills you with excitement when you listen to it. The Suicide Machines are a fine example of a band that can fill you with excitement when you listen to their music, with the opening and closing tracks being prime examples of this here. The band always seem to like to begin and end on a high, but then again this is no surprise seeing as most of their back catalogue of songs can be considered as highs – The Suicide Machines are a band of few errors and inconsistencies.

I urge you all to go out there and buy this album right now – The Suicide Machines are a quality band and have once again come up with an album of an extremely high standard which combines perfectly elements of Punk, Hardcore, Ska and Reggae. My only fault with the CD is the length, once again the band have managed to record an extremely short album clocking in at just over half an hour in length despite being 14 tracks strong. It’s a sign of the bands quality that despite the albums short length you are left feeling extremely satisfied when the album comes to an end, you will know doubt be after more but will be satisfied nonetheless. Another great album from one of the 90s finest examples of Punk Rock, I can’t wait to see them live and watch them perform these tracks in the flesh.

Label: Side One Dummy Records
Release Date: September 26th 2005

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