Record of the Week: BRAIN KILLER’s 3rd EP
With a band I’ve seen live so many times that I can repeat their lyrics in my sleep and raise my fist in tune subconsciously, it can be hard to adjust to new material. I usually prefer the old stuff that is like an etching in my brain. I love BRAIN KILLER‘s older demo songs like “Fight Back” and “The Breaking Wheel” — they’re carved into me and trigger memories of some of the best shows that I have ever attended. Songs like those cause one to burn with an inner fury that can be brought to the surface with haste only by the gut wrenching deliverance from a band with as much potency as BRAIN KILLER. From their demo to this EP, there is still that true hardcore fury that hasn’t faded over the years — they’ve kept their fire burning.
BRAIN KILLER has the rage and intensity of FRAMTID with the blatant foundation of growing up on the PARTISANS and CHAOS UK. I’m always amazed at the lyrics, with their structure and cutting use of language. The eloquence of the words delivered, the feeling of their execution creates total perfection and has been improved with the addition of Dan’s voice. Dan’s co-vocals compliment the original line-up well and give this band an interesting edge that not all bands in this genre have right now. BRAIN KILLER evolved with its members and their sound, and got better and more devastating. How many punk bands pull that off like a fine fucking wine?
The drums on this EP are still driving and violent and the bass and guitar are as punk as you need. Throughout the record, as on previous releases, the constant guitar feedback is scorching and done with skill. This isn’t messy noise — all sounds delivered by this band are done with an impact that is deliberate and inescapable. This release, and I think it could be partially due to the dual vocals, has a very Burning Britain feel. It captures the anger and frustrations of modern times just as well as anarcho bands like CONFLICT or CRUCIFIX did in the ’80s. Every track on this record is a scorcher. You’ll have to pull the plug or tag my toe to get this off my turntable. It is the most perfect final release for a band that had a good run — although there may be a flexi in the works? Thank you to these Boston punx for this record and R.I.P. Nick Poot.
