The Blood Brothers - Young Machetes

Genre rock Publisher V2 Records External Links Official The Blood Brothers Website Official V2 Records Website

I have to admit that I was very surprised to learn that The Blood Brothers have been together since 1997 and have spawned several EPs and albums, the latest being Young Machetes, with critics praising their raw and collective "scowl at the mainstream." From the sound of this album, I'd be more likely to believe that a group of kids got bored, pretended to be upset about some vague notions, screeched their lungs inside-out, followed some obvious cues from famous bands they grew up on, and pushed out the newest installment of Seattle Screamo Bullcrap. Some would call it "Punk Revival". Honestly, if that's the case, bury it again. I'm sick of people carving their image from a scene that was highly glamorized, grossly image-based, and damn talentless. This was an age where Iggy Osterberg and Lou Reed were the only two people who were genuinely stone cold nuts (yarrrr...ain't that a horrible phrase?) and honest about it. The ravenous devouring of that brutal originality is the biggest reason for Punk's short lifespan. And now we have another "revival" with conjured up city angst? Fuck that.

In any case, don't think The Blood Brothers won't unload an sawed-off shotgun of sound and vitriol in your ugly face. The energy involved with their sound seems limitless, regardless of authenticity. This is particularly true on the songs "Set Fire to the Face on Fire" which simply reeks of Jane's Addiction, "Vital Beach" with bullet-hail power guitars, and "Nausea Shreds Yr Head" which made me feel as if I was sprinting full speed through a forest, being fire-bombed from overhead. While I hate to type the words "We Ride Skeletal Lightning," and it took a good minute to get over the whining scream of the lead singers, I was really impressed with this Nirvana-like dirge. It swarms with monotonous back-and-forth guitar ominousness. It's even got some good Cobainisms like "I got shot in the face/it's all on videotape" and "vacant as a womb that's miscarried". The banshee madness of Young Machetes comes with a sense of structure that's been developed over the last ten years. I'm just glad I didn't have to listen to the Blood Brothers back then.