Lars Fredriksen and the Bastards
Viking
Hellcat Records
Oh, baby! It’s the mighty Lars Fredriksen and his trusty band of bastards here with their latest release on Hellcat records! Get ready for some old school, beat-your-ass and hit a pint of Mickey’s punk rock!
“Skins, Punx and Drunx” is a high octane punk rock onslaught that rocks harder than anything I’ve ever heard from the Hellcat label. Lars has one of the coolest punk rock growls around, and he’s got so much attitude and spunk in his delivery that regardless of how cheesy the lyrics are (getting tattoos, getting wasted, carrying weapons, etc), he still sounds awesome! The Bastards rock out with reckless abandon. Their sound isn’t too far removed from what the Clash might have sounded like, had they formed in 2002. I much prefer the fast, up-tempo rockers to the slow, drunken sing-alongs (i.e., “Switchblade”). The only weak spots on the record are the guitar solos, which come off as a bit corny, and the collaboration with Tim Armstrong, “My Life to Live.” I was hoping to be knocked out, Rancid style, but was instead given a limp, wandering and pointless ditty about who knows what, complete with a mandolin.
Even so, fans of Rancid are certain to enjoy this.
Hellcat Records: http://www.hell-cat.com
