Turbonegro

Anticipation has been running high for the "denim demons” to follow up 2005’s Party Animals, a monumental mixture of hard rock, punk and metal. Given that record’s crisp production and borderline radio-friendly style, while still retaining the band’s core values of sleaze and raunch, it was their highest moment since pre-break-up effort Apocalypse Dudes, setting the bar high for this release. A bar they’re close to but just shy of reaching. The strains of poppy tracks such as "We’re Gonna Drop The Atom Bomb,” "Do You Do You Die Destruction” and "Everybody Loves A Chubby Dude” are shady, catchy and unforgettable but not gut-wrenchingly dark "death punk” anthems. Ostensibly a grower more than a shower, the album slowly appeals to the inner Jugend, the tracks dripping with singer Hank Von Helvete’s gutter-laden humour and homoerotic themes. But Turbonegro tunes should ooze more than drip. Retox is a solid contribution to the catalogue but isn’t mind-blowing; it’s a little too squeaky clean, more Scandinavian Leather than Hot Cars And Spent Contraceptives.