Concrete Sox

Reviews

Concrete Sox Sewerside CD reissue

Fuzzy crossover metal punk from Nottingham. Short mad burst of thrash punk fury while at its core is A-political stenchcore riding the wave of the late ’80s thrash explosion. That’s the real standout here: the anarcho-punk stench is unrivaled through snotty coarse vocals, fanatically harsh D-beat/thrash drumming, and melodic breakdown with dirgey subterranean riffs carrying them through. Like the grooves of S.O.D. with the importance of C.O.C. Messy and punk technical thrash with Scandi-style ten-second guitar solos. This is actually a really fun listen. It’s aggressive, has bizarre samples, the lyrics are smart, the metal is up your arse and the punk is in your face. I first heard CONCRETE SOX on the Endless Struggle 1-in-12 comp and they sounded like DOOM meets OI POLLOI. Every time I got into a “new” CONCRETE SOX recording, it’s something new to experience. Anywhere from SORE THROAT to SUICIDAL to GANG GREEN. Sometimes that can seem confusing. But in their case somehow it is exciting. Keep it salty, keep it strange.

Concrete Sox Whoops, Sorry Vicar! LP

100% speedmetal for the SOX now, and it’s pretty good, probably their most solid release. Sounding comparable to METALLICA and the ACCUSED, they have maintained their intelligent lyrical outlook, questioning religion, inequality, greed, oppression, etc. My only gripe is the slightly trebly production, but that’s minor. This is swell!

Heresy / Concrete Sox split LP

HERESY’S side rips out six ultra-thrashers that have a slight metal edge to them, which is overpowered by the sheer force that each song holds. The flipside has five songs by CONCRETE SOX which have a way more metal feel to it due to the guitar riffs; it’s still powerful and rock, though.

Concrete Sox Your Turn Next LP

Some speedcore trappings, managed in an entirely tasteful and powerful manner, make the thrashy songs on this album very creditable on a musical level; bands like BROKEN BONES should look to the SOX with envy. The socially and politically responsible lyrics, however, make this one into both an intelligent and very listenable record. Very good.

Concrete Sox Demo cassette

Great stuff from the UK again. Potent riffs with power and might, featuring a great distorted guitar sound that grinds with an echoing feedback. Raunched-out vocals, with a strong bass and good drum hooks, brings this effort into a fast paced charge of exciting melodies in the vein of early GBH or newer ENGLISH DOGS. With this being a four-songer, hopefully vinyl will soon follow.