Canadian label, Californian punk
Formed in 2019 in Santa Cruz, California by members of DISTILLERS, GOOD RIDDANCE and BL’AST, SEIZED UP have the pedigree without sounding like any of those bands. Marching Down The Spiral, the follow-up to 2020’s Brace Yourself LP (Pirates Press), is a three track affair of hard-hitting, sociopolitical punk from the North American tradition of bands like D.O.A., SUBHUMANS and VERBAL ASSAULT.
First track Forum of Decay takes potshots at the worst aspects of social media and its alienating influence. Angry, tight and chugging, this is mid-80’s US punk rock with an inevitable ‘grumpy old men’ aspect to the lyrics (“No substitute for real air!”). Peppered with some great DEAD KENNEDYS lead guitar discordance, it’s a fine opener. Dead Zone Denied is more of the same, mid-paced chug, with some interesting turns. These two tracks are crying out for group shouts but then I think most punk choruses should have them, so maybe that’s my blind spot. The final track Marching Down The Spiral is king here: stop-on-a-dime US hardcore with a juicy pick-slide, breakdown and, right at the end, some backing vocals.
This sound harks back to a time around the mid-eighties when American hardcore bands were incorporating ‘rock’ elements, taking a little more care with the song-writing and refining their anger. These guys have been around the block a few times and that shows in their solid musicianship, attention to detail and lyrical concerns. The imagery and delivery bring to mind the hugely underrated Welsh band FOUR LETTER WORD and trust me, that is a complement right there. Highly recommended. Available for pre-order now, vinyl drops 9th April 2021. Follow the link below.
Cursed Blessings Records was started in June 2020 by Al Nolan, frontman for Canadian punk band ALMIGHTY TRIGGER HAPPY and seem to have an interesting collection of releases so far. Worth a look here.
PERSONAL PUNK 