The God Awfuls
Next Stop Armageddon (Kung Fu)
By Ewan Wadharmi
Great name for an incredibly intense chunk of punk from the way-back machine. Vitriolic rage with the catchiness of The Adicts and the acidic bite of Angelic Upstarts. Every track is signed with unusual guitar work to keep it memorable. They’ve got piles of humor, an impossible velocity, and the moxy to rhyme N.R.A. with K.K.K. Beyond that, they’re tighter than a nun’s… um… fist. The vicious harmonies should be the reference point for all bands with barbershop intentions. This is how it should be done, you Bad Religion wannabees. Flourishes like round-robin vocals and gear-jamming change-ups adorn the highly-charged tunes. Special mention goes to the secondary singer on “Tonight” for snappy hiccuping. The God Awfuls have bookmarked the history of punk and give us the best parts without the bullshit. British Oi begets SoCal punkabilly which begets NY streetpunk. Despite a brief fake bagpipe, this is still the best release since The Forgotten’s Keep the Corpses Quiet. We must give thanks to George Jr. for providing the oppressive political atmosphere that cultivates such incendiary music.
(PO Box 38009 Hollywood, CA 90038)