KEY POINTS:
Turbonegro call the music they make death punk. But really, these Norwegians create a big dumb noise that - depending on what you're into - is dressed up in tight black leather or pristine randy whites.
This is the sextet's eighth album and the formula has not changed
one bit since they formed in the early 90s, so there's more rabid homoerotic innuendo, blatant silliness (like the stupid but oh-so adorable Everyone Loves a Chubby Dude), and the non-stop party riffs of songs like No, I'm Alpha Male and Hot & Filthy.
Put it this way, Retox is fun but Turbonegro are a band best served live.
The thing about them is they don't care what you think because they are on this planet to play rock'n'roll and sweat. If you want to join in, then jump in the play pen, but be warned, they play rough.
Turbonegro were at their best on the, er, ballsy Scandinavian Leather in 2003. However, what Retox proves is that, like head howler Hank Von Helvete, you can still have a pot belly, squeeze yourself into starry chaps, and be a rock'n'roll star.
From the Scandinavian crazies to four young mongrels - especially, by the sounds of him anyway, singer Liam Cormier - from Toronto band Cancer Bats.
The band's debut album, Birthing the Giant, combines the demented dirge of New York sickos Unsane, the unrestrained posturing of Led Zeppelin and the Who, with the raw melodic punk energy of Black Flag, which all adds up to a scorching album that refuses to let up over 11 tracks.
On Grenades, Cormier's vicious vocals are backed up by scything guitar and a stampede of bottom end beats that brawl together like they're in a pub fight.
It's not often you can say exactly what the best bit of an album is, but when Grenades merges straight into Shillelagh - going from riotous riffs into the boisterous chant of "Hell yeah" - then you know that that's it.
Elsewhere, there's the bludgeoning rumble of Diamond Mine and it's just as well Pneumonia Hawk is the last song because these lads have given their instruments such a hammering that they sound beautifully out of tune.
Cancer Bats have a lethal bite and long may they feed on the blood of rock'n'roll.
Up next, and coming straight out of Miami, Florida, are Poison the Well, a band who have toured with acts as diverse as stoned rockers Deftones, hardcore heroes Hatebreed, and ambient metallers Cult of Luna. Those comparisons show the scope of their sound.
On Versions, the band's sixth album, they shed the restraints of hardcore and metalcore, two genres they are often lumped into. But, the mix of fired-up and slower songs fails to gel.
Versions veers from the berserk punk-metal of Composer Meet Corpse and Prematurio El Baby, but then there are semi-staunch serenades like Nagaina (that tries it's best to rage) and Slow Good Morning (a laborious flop) that come across as weak.
With its wider use of instruments, including acoustic parts, more strings, and brass, you can see the journey Poison the Well are trying to go on but the trip needs more planning and better execution. Who knows, maybe it needs repeat listens.
On a more consistently fast and furious note come punk rock veterans Bad Religion. The first song of the LA band's 14th album clocks in at 58 seconds (it's called 52 Seconds for some reason) and it's a good indication of what to expect - fast, to the point, and raw.
While the sentiment and politics of some songs like Heroes & Martyrs and Grains of Wrath are a little earnest and overbearing for the uninitiated they are so ridiculously hooky that Bad Religion get away with it. As you'd expect after more than 25 years together, they have mellowed both musically and politically - not too much mind - and in this case chilling out is a plus.
While the solid punk rock chug, throaty vocals, and all-in sing-song choruses remain, there's also a melodic pop edge to songs like Honest Goodbye and Prodigal Son that recalls Weezer. And, the frantic unhinged anthem New Dark Ages is the best song Bad Religion have written in years - download that, if nothing else.
Turbonegro - Retox
Label: SLR/Shock
Verdict: Same old party tricks from camp Norwegian death punks
Herald rating: 3 out of 5
Cancer Bats - Birthing the Giant
Label: Distort/Shock
Verdict: They've come to suck your blood and raise hell
Herald rating: 4 out of 5
Poison The Well - Versions
Label: Ferret/Rhythmethod
Verdict: Grand ambitions of shedding hardcore skin doesn't quite work
Herald rating: 3 out of 5
Bad Religion - New Maps of Hell
Label: Epitaph
Verdict: LA punk rock veterans mellow for the better
Herald rating: 4 out of 5
