Known most for being one of Rise Records’ “WTF Signings” in
late 2010 alongside Man Overboard and Transit, British punk band Sharks tries
to distance itself from the label that signed them; not in the same way that
Man O and Transit did, but by reanimating the spirit of The Clash in the 2010s.
And I don’t just mean that in the lazy punk-band-from-England-must-be-The-Clash
kind of way; they really do sound like the legendary punk band. And they carry
the same penchant for making their views extra clear through their music. The
band is openly against God’s existence and organized religion (one of the
shirts they sold on the AP Tour said “Fuck God. Believe In Yourself.”) So it
should come as no surprise that their debut album is title No Gods.
Despite the bleak album title, the album really doesn’t feel
too negative. The first track “Til the Wonders Rise” is upbeat and even
features a rallying cry in the bridge: “We’re the overestimated underdogs,”
sings James Mattock in one of the cooler lyrical one-liners of the year thus
far. This is followed up by the infectious “Hey, Rudy Rudy”s on lead single “Arcane
Effigies,” which could end up being the catchiest punk song written in a long
time.
Drummer Sam Lister is the perfect backbone for this band.
Not overpowering but also not falling into the pattern of the simple punk beat,
he knows just how to control a song from the background. His best work comes
from the poly-rhythmic beat in “Patient Spider” in which the snare provides a
really solid crunch and a nice tempo for the chorus. But this show is really
all about the riffs that guitarists Andrew Bayliss and Mattock put together.
Whether it’s the beautiful high register riffs such as the intro to “Turn to
You” or simple punk-chord riffs such as the one in “What Entails,” the band
just understands how to write a great punk rock guitar riff.
Producer Brian McTernan (whose other credits include
Fireworks’ Gospel, Thrice’s Artist In The Ambulance, and Circa
Survive’s On Letting Go and Juturna) proves again why he is one of
the best in the business. The production is crisp and the guitar tones sound
massive, while the band still retains the raw energy and grittiness that made
their compilation EP, The Joys of Living
2008-2010, turn some heads.
The album’s only major flaw is that several of the choruses
feel too similar and don’t seem to distinguish from each other enough. This is
probably because Mattock hasn’t learned yet how to diversify his voice from
chorus to chorus, so the melodies end up being very similar from song to song.
That will easily change with time, as Mattock is a capable vocalist and has a
very solid range.
Bottom Line: Sharks are only just touching the surface of
what they can become in the music scene. If they don’t run into this guy, they
could become one of the best punk bands in the scene.
Recommended if you rock: The Clash, Gallows, Jaws, not Jaws 3, Mega Shark
Vs. Giant Octopus
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