Review Summary: Punchy. Catchy. A female Lemmy on vocals. What could go wrong?
Too much music goes unnoticed in the modern age, where writing and recording an album can take place in one's bedroom. The amount of music flooding the industry makes it hard for genuine, good works to be acknowledged.
No Remorse by The Explicits is one of these records.
The hardcore punk genre is filled with a great deal of unremarkable groups, merely repeating music that has been worn thin by their predecessors or idols. This leads to each new wave becoming more dilute, less energy filled, less idealistic, and so on. Renee Phoenix, who at the time had been playing guitar for a little over 10 years decided that it was time to organise a band, and so, The Explicits were born. However, instead of opting for one genre or one band to emulate, the group selected multiple, and whilst the output was not necessarily the best thing to come from the combination, it provided a solid record, one that should be remembered.
Songs like
Over It and
Indestructable contain Phoenix's rough vocals laying down catchy choruses, trying to capture her thoughts in a punky manner that comes off sounding like a slightly feminine Lemmy Kilmister. The drums stand out, because no matter how much the guitar is strumming, the tasteful drumming fills space that would otherwise be relatively empty. In a sense, this record isn't defined so much by it's wall of guitars, rather being added to by the rest of the rhythm section. It's not to say that there aren't fitting solos and interesting riffs, but the drumming and occasional eye-brow raising bass riffs really add to the quality of the record.
Late night tonight
late night tomorrow
turns you straight
no need to follow
blood was split
by the forgotten
so across the border
no ***ing control
The lyrics on this album do leave a bit to be desired, not covering any fantastical ground, nor adding a new dimension to the music found on the record. The simplified lyricism can leave the listener wondering if there's much more to the record than a venting of aggression at anything, but not one thing in particular.
With 9 songs and just over 25 minutes of play time, Renee Phoenix and Co. present a energetic, riff filled record with sing along choruses and gritty verses to try and emphasise the point. Whilst there is no ground-breaking work here, no genre bending or otherwise progressive activities, it is a comfortable listen and a record that deserves more credit than it is given.
3.5/5
