KaosKaos Krew sounds to me like a bunch of New York guys with reversed baseball caps playing hardcore but this is nothing like that. “Corruption Rules This World” is hard rock with a nice cynical twist as you may gather from its title and the sleeve picture of a man wearing a gas mask. For the record Kaos Krew are from Finland and this is their third album.

Intentions are announced with “Planet Madness”, an utterly catchy rock track with the most compelling beat. The lyrics are devoted to corruption and plastic people. They’re crystal clear and made me laugh. It may be negative and unlikely to become a company mission statement but it pumps life and it’s all very jolly: a great opening track. After that the cynicism remains but the beat is always solid. The grooves are ultra deep. This music is born of a hard rock tradition. “Be Our Hero” is deeper and slower than “Planet Madness”. I sensed elements of Robert Plant and ZZ Top but most of all, this is chunky groove metal. “Big Sale” again is full of life and has a nice quirkiness about it, especially in the vocals. It doesn’t pay to take this too seriously. Hypnotic riffs, black humour and a continuing deep groove that embeds itself in your head ensure our attention. “How do I look today, tell me is my hair ok, ugly people go away or you cannot stay” is a line from “Better People”. The album also features electro metal and a bit of keyboard. “Close My Eyes” and “Leave No Scars” continue the themes of hypocrisy and self-delusion. Instrumentally this album is rich. Garnishing the heavy rock base are some delicious pieces of guitar work on “Fire Eater” and subtle and eccentric touches from the programming department on “Von Oben”. “Into the Fire” finishes the album off in typical fashion. It is another driving force of a track with a sinister edge and deep, deep guitar line.

Although very similar in format throughout its 10 tracks, there are a lot of little subtle and even faintly progressive touches on this album. What I also like about “Corruption Rules this World” is that even though it is cynical to the core, it is rock solid and fresh-sounding. There’s no crap, it’s funny without being clever of clichéd, and it’s a nice album to listen to.

(7.5/10 Andrew Doherty)

www.kaoskrewmusic.com