Being a particularly hard band to genre-pigeon-hole, PABH take influences from Disco, Punk, Hardcore and many other genres. With the announcement of the new album, it brought up a few concerns for me personally. Firstly, they are one of the most energetic bands I’ve ever seen, and their live shows are truly awesome. How would this translate to the polished format of an album? Well, after my recent chat at Brighton’s Great Escape, they assured me that it would not lose the energy, so lets have a run through of it.
First thing you will notice, is there are many tracks from the previous EPs. All are new recordings, and it’s a great thing as these tracks were too good to leave off. Ones like I Punched A Lion In The Throat are incredibly heavy, with a really catchy opening riff before all hell breaks loose for the rest of the song. New tracks like the opener, Back To The Fuck Yeah are an instant taste of the classic PABH sound; stupidly simple guitar riffs, choruses consisting mainly of one word and more energy than you could want or need. The ‘rough around the edges’ feel is still here, with some tracks ending in coughing, leads falling out of guitars and missed notes here and there. High Five, Swan Dive, Nose Dive is another great one, going from fairly slow (compared with others) into huge chuggy riff break downs at the end.
The majority of the tracks are previous material, but new numbers like Yeah Buddy bring something new, such as incorporating some singing in the chorus, moving away from the usual shouted vocals that are associated with the band. Moonlit Talons is another instant hit, with huge riffs, intense vocals and big breakdowns before smashing right back into it.
This album is a good mix of new material with old re-recordings of some of the best tracks from the previous EPs, of which there were many. The tracks are often short and sweet, meaning it’s a short and sweet trip while it lasts.
