Review Summary: A steel-capped boot to the tender bollocks of 2016.
The last knockings of a turbulent year are reverberating in our minds. Wherever you sit at the political table, no matter how big or little influence the many we have lost this year have imparted on you, many of us will have left 2016 feeling a little emptier. A little short-changed. A little confused, perhaps. Petrol Girls are not many of us.
Talk of Violence may well have been released in mid-November, but frankly I can think of no better middle finger to cheerily wave in the direction of the last 12 months. This record is a visceral sucker punch reminiscent of Refused, Million Dead and Gallows grabbing the listener by the collar, spitting rage and unapologetic vitriol in their face, and by the end of the rollercoaster 28 minutes, even the most apathetic will be screaming back. This is directed fury and controlled chaos – targeting sexism, bigotry and inequality – breaking these concepts down and exposing them, almost mocking the status quo and refusing to back down.
The production of this record is perfectly aligned to the DIY ethos of the project. It does not work tirelessly to tighten up any imperfections, but Petrol Girls are such a well-oiled (‘scuse the pun), tight outfit that there is no need.
Talk of Violence is not lo-fi per se, but it does give off something of a claustrophobic discomfort, but therein lies the key – this is triumphant, confident, and does not shy away from argument for the sake of making those around the band feel easy, not to mention that this is a lot of sweaty fun despite the underlying frustration that a record like this should have to exist in this day and age. Spiky, uncensored, and gripping from start to finish, this record is a succinct ‘*** you’ for anyone feeling the need to release a bit of righteousness.
