Bulletridden | ‘Songs Written Before Jumping out of an Eight Storey Window’

Sometimes the most simplistic of formulas can produce the best results. Ireland’s own Underground Movement have done well to pick up on this first album from Bristol metalpunx Bulletridden, who have come together from the ashes of various underground entities in the UK to produce this satisfying effort.

The order of the day is for pacey, metal-infected crunchiness and the band set about it with audible enthusiasm. Opener ‘The Light is Retreating’ sets the template for the group, with rasped vocals and a crunchy guitar tone riding that relentless beat the forms the core of every band that’s worshipped at the altar of Discharge since the mid 80’s.

Thankfully though, they’ve paid plenty of attention to the mix, which is powerful and strident enough to produce shades of early Bolt Thrower, with those guitars really crashing along, track after track.

Some bands decide to work off the basis of tried and trusted styles to produce something a bit more varied or expansive. This is not on Bulletridden’s agenda. The band sound content and completely at ease lashing through a rapid progression of hefty crust, and the diversions, including conspicious melodies, are at a bare minimum.

If they do anything though, it’s play to their strengths. The atavistic roar of frontman Martin Ridden is an asset worth it’s weight in studded jackets, and an ear for the occasional gang chorus to punctuate the satisfying racket is evident, and most effectively employed during the kick-ass ‘Monorchid’.

Bands can all too often get carried away with samples on these sort of records, but we only get a handful sparsely used here (including that fox from ‘Antichrist’) and things are all the better for it. Aside from these slight distractions, it’s business as usual, with meaty chord progressions aplenty and a steady hammering of the kit.

Clocking in at twenty two minutes, this is a brief but reasonably brutal affair. Closer ‘Do This in Remembrance of Me’ breaks the mold just slightly, with a simple but effective vocal hook acting a closing change to the album’s flow. While going nowhere near reinventing the wheel, this is an honest and effective concoction that no doubt delivers the goods live. If you’re a fan of all things crust ridden and reeking of d-beat, the primal oomph here is worthy of checking out at the very least.

2.8 / 5 - Lorcan Archer ::: 02/02/10

Bulletridden play Skinny’s tribute gig at Fibber McGee’s, Dublin on February 20th, with Coldwar, Coitus, Paranoid Visions and many more.