Been expectantly awaiting this, finally after three highly rated EP’s The Joy Thieves get round to their debut album. Since forming or should that be spawning into the multi-limbed industro-wrecking machine they are, this lot have certainly kept us on our toes. Much in the tradition of rag-tag combos such as Murder Inc, Revolting Cocks and Pigface this is an ever-revolving group which embraces any artist that feels like joining in and making a racket. For the uninitiated they include such a huge array of artists that you don’t blink twice realising that new to the group is such an illustrious drummer as Big Paul Ferguson of Killing Joke. Elsewhere we have past and present members of Rollins Band, Ministry, Stabbing Westward, Nitzer Ebb, Revolting Cocks, Pigface, KMFDM, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult and this is just the tip of the iceberg and the more familiar bands from the roster. Basically, there’s over 40 of them who have been involved and if you are thinking too many cooks, don’t worry no broth spoiled here.
Making things slightly simpler as far as naming names is concerned, vocals are all handled on the album by none other than Chris Connelly. I would say I have no problem with that but perhaps I wouldn’t have minded a bit of screaming from the ladies who are involved as with so many musicians their efforts perhaps slip a bit into the background. Then again, I’m not sure exactly who was available for the recording and as Connelly is a long-term favourite and I have just devoured his 70-minute Birthday Poems opus (with Monica Queen) for another publication I was certainly up for more of his rugged Scott’s brogue.
There are no less than 15 new numbers here and with the lengths of most of them ranging between the 2-3 minute mark, make no mistake this is a slam-dunk, fast and furious ride, baby. This lot are far from American Idiot’s and the title track rocks and steamrollers over us like a wrecking machine, full of groove and vocal acidity. There’s a strong hint of punk about the album and the immediacy of the songs will not only make you want to come back for more but have plenty of hooks about them to make things really compulsive. Seriously listening to this the first couple of times was like randomly going through my record collection and I am sure many others will find more than a whiff of nostalgia about things. ‘Drown By Invitation’ has a neat, neat, neat beat, beat beat; more than a touch of Damned punk about its rhythmic thrust. Before you can ask if there’s a Stooge in the house ‘My Life In Power’ rawks and rolls like a good un and there’s a touch of glittery glam boots too ‘Crown Of Expulsion’ having Connelly sounding like a cross between Bowie and Lydon and making you sneer and want to gob in equal measures. Obviously not something you want to be doing in Covid times but as solos come thick and fast, heads are urged to bang and this is something that you simply are going to be hungering to witness live.
Obviously, this is not one for a track-by-track dissection although there isn’t a duff number to be found here and it would be easy to say something about each and every one of them. We get jagged guitar attacks, fast firing near-rapped out vocals and juddering bass grooves aplenty. If you are looking for a fast dance and infectious chorus longest track ‘Blood Slogan’ will do the job nicely, it’s one for the Beautiful People beat wise and with Connelly’s accent really showing their roots I’m kinda thrown back into those early KLF albums and wonder about Cauty and Drummond getting brought out of their hermitage for future guest spots. Then we get ‘Tension Moon’ and we are bang into a fast-rocking prime Hawkwind type number which really does put the joy all over my face! Then there’s Flock To The Stop, talk about fast and furious, we are near D.R.I. speeds here and I just want to throw myself off a stage, flattening everyone in the vicinity landing just as the players go into a burst of Primus etched lunacy. There really is a bit of everything going on here, we even have some Crass like sweary message heavy poetry on penultimate number ‘Wonder War’ before one final assault to the end on an album that never stands still for a second.
This is an album that has me wanting to congratulate everyone involved for a sterling effort, but if I did that, we would be here all bloody day. Suffice to say, I liked this and you should too!
(8.5/10 Pete Woods)
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