Satanic Surfers

Sweden's skate punk vets return for album number five. Mellowing out compared to some of their past material, they show themselves to be adept at mid-tempo pop numbers as well as the speedier stuff. And although playing fast has its merits, they sound better when they slow it down, as shown on tunes like "Bittersweet" and "Diversity." They also take things to a more political level, railing against oppression and the negative impact of globalisation on "Thoughts, Words, Action" and "State Of Conformity." There's enough variety in these 13 tracks to make for some good listening.