Shutdowns

Fist-pumping, sweat-soaking, elbow-pumping stuff this. A full 12 tracks of no-holds-barred, no-quarter-asked-nor-given punk rock. Adolescent rage, unity, chicks, alienation and nasty looking cover art (a little bit of bondage, a little bit of misogyny) complement the sound inside. The album is a well-produced and slick-sounding piece of work, courtesy of vet punk producer Darian Rundall (of Pennywise and U.S. Bombs credit) and SoCal bigwig Steve Soto (ex-Agent Orange and the Adolescents, now in 22 Jacks and Manic Hispanic) doing some back-up vocal work. Strong songwriting and tight playing by band members that include the flotsam and jetsam from Buckshot, Jack of None, the Grabbers and U.S. Bombs make this album exceptional. Some tracks, especially those with guitarist Mo Torres singing ("No More" and "Bellingham Beauty"), have a definite Dee Dee Ramone throat-strained grind to them. A winning combo right here.