Generation Kill may well be the name of an HBO drama series about the American assault on Baghdad in 2003 and indeed looking at the album cover of this, the artwork suggests it is inspired by just such an event. Combine this with gung-ho songs of battle and lyrics about various flavours of pussy lifted straight from the US Marine Core chants from Full Metal Jacket and you might think you have a glorified US redneck cavalry charge of an album designed to take no prisoners. Well in a tongue in cheek way I guess you have and this album will no doubt go down a storm with patriots and campaign veterans on home soil. However the rest of us can equally enjoy it as there are some fairly well known names behind this new group. We have Rob Dukes of Exodus on vocals or should that be vokills, we also have Rob Maschetti who used to be in (motherfucking) Pro-Pain and M.O.D. and drummer Sam Inzerra who used to be Mortician. On playing this the first time I was hooked and realised I had something really good on my hands. Some thrash of a high calibre from some of the players who have been doing it since well before the tired revival attempted to pull its baggy shorts up. This is the sort of stuff that they should have been listening to in boot camp before being flung into battle by various labels like the cannon fodder these bands are.
After a brief patch of acoustic guitar ‘Hate’ ploughs in delivering an anthem that’s straight out of the best parts of old DRI, Suicidal Tendencies, SOIA and Biohazard; this is straight in the zone (motherfucker) all that’s missing in the skateboard and I’m sure an accident on one must have been involved in the recording. Duke’s vocals bite the head off and Maschetti adds atmosphere with his backing chants. The solos are fast and furious and you are pretty much left breathless by the end and it’s only the first song. The title track’s up next and it’s all about hatred and killing, hey you know what I really don’t know whether to take it seriously? Would this lot go on tour with Napalm Death? Well you have to wonder just how serious this glorification of war is, they even throw the star spangled banner in this one via guitar? Shit, musically it’s a blast though! Ah hold on there are chants about peace on ‘Feast For The Wolves’ and talk about being betrayed, phew. There are even moments of pure metal hippydom, check out the Pantera like ‘Cemetery Gates’ guitars on ‘Self Medicating’ the horrors of war are coming through m’kay!
There really is a platoon load of good songs here. Thick bass lines and a doomed demeanour stomp heavyset weight into ‘Slow Burn’ and the lyrics kind of remind me of that She Wolf of Baghdad Lynndie England with the vocals poignantly soaring with the words “I want to watch the world burn and laugh while I fan the flames.” Excellent. We also have the snarling attack of the ‘Walking Dead’ another full on thrash hardcore crossover number pumped up on adrenaline and energy, complete with a powerhouse chorus that’s going to cause carnage in the pit. If the guitar solo does not frag you and leave you shell-shocked there’s a bit left. ‘Dark Days’ is another slow burner with the power of smouldering ashes left in the wake of liquid napalm. The acoustic guitar melody and clean vocals are really lush and there is a whole load of power not negated by the fact that this is essentially a ballad. Flexing muscles we arrive at ‘Let Me Die’ putting the final nail in the coffin? Not quite as thrown on the end we have a surprise, a very confident and concrete cover of Nine Inch Nails classic ‘Wish.
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I admit that when I picked this up, I took one look and yawned thinking it was another generic ‘names in side project album’ that was going to bore the pants off me. I can only praise the lord glad that he passed me the ammunition and I played this before sticking it in an envelope and passing onto another grunt for review, as this has been one of the years biggest surprises. What else is there to be said, stand to attention and check this out or get down and give me 100 push ups whilst spit polishing my boots with your tongue, now what would you rather do?
http://www.myspace.com/officialgenerationkill
Pete Woods
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