A concerted effort to keep the work area tidy has resulted in me unearthing a pile of records that I should have got around to reviewing a long time ago. One of which was this wonderful salvo of vocal tirades and crunchy punk sounds from two–piece West Country punks Ghost Of The Avalanche. As well as having a cool name, releasing this on vinyl (nice) and having a less is more attitude towards band member recruitment, they also do a neat line in moving the punk genre forward.
Many people’s image of todays punk is Mohican sporting, bondage trousered dinosaurs hanging around their old watering holes discussing the logistics of going to Rebellion this year or whether The Stranglers were a real punk band. GOTA, however provide a new lease of life for those stuck in such scenarios.
Two, short, shouty tracks intersperse a couple of more realised efforts that contain all the aggression and swagger you expect but also some unexpected melody that reminds you that early punk had it’s roots in a scruffy pop sensibility. But that was then and this is now and despite the similarities, it is the differences that sell the music. Fat, distorted bass lines, pounding drums and often a guttural musical primal scream that borders on grunge help create something familiar yet unique. It is also a transitional record, especially when compared to this year’s This Is Earth EP where some of the ideas and attitudes that flavour Body Snatchers are allowed to blossom.
On a final note, if Monkey Knife Fight is the best 35 seconds of ranting social commentary I have ever heard, I’ll eat my No Means No records.
