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What am I supposed to say to convince you of the importance of Keep The Corpses Quiet? TKO may as well hire me as a press person for all the raves I give them. And they may as well hire me to get their site up again while we’re at it. But when the releases get increasingly better, what else can I do? The Forgotten is the best thing born out of San Jose since my daughter was delivered sporting a mohawk. Keep The Corpses Quiet is maniacal and sinister perfection. These punks have been paying attention; they have taken all that is good and discarded the fluff in this distillation of British hardcore, East Coast Oi, and melodic street punk.
Misfits-heavy full-band chiming announces the frantic "Who Blames You." Craig Fairbaugh’s brief guitar solos, which are never overly bright, dance around mature gruff vocals. Even when the song is busy with the Repo-Man inspired, "I blame the Army, Air Force, Marines." They demonstrate an unequalled discipline on their own artillery. Drummer Dkash is converted to fully auto. "Forced To Believe" explores the abandonment of organized religion, coincidentally, using call and response vocals. Gordy Cordone sings like he’s dodging bullets. "Silent Weapons" features a stealthily sweet bass line courtesy Mr. Johnny Bleach Jeans, and sir-yes-sir chorus. It’s like Lemmy riding a rockabilly escalator. More military scrubbing precision on "Air Raid" while the sideman spits out, "Duck and cover! Bombs are falling!"
"Spat from the womb at a running pace." "Revolutionary" could have been a Borstal breakout. "Never complacent with what he’s got, he breathes the winds of change." With the breakneck pace, The Forgotten still manage to hang onto melodic intent. Not harmonic so-cal sweetness, but an insidious solid line to sink the beat into. Fulcrum shifting drums punctuate "Genocide"; a no-holes barred dogfight of guitars and soaring backing vocals. As incendiary as the name, it’s the explosive love story of a bomb and the target of its affection. The oi stylings of "No System" backdrop the quandary of Socialism and Capitalism. Which one will win? See title for answer. Gordy’s unusual phrasings are an added bonus. The dark biblical imagery of the "Outsider" parable is not your traditional punk fare. Bold, intelligent lyrics usually reserved for the likes of The Residents. A complex tale of youthful Naked Raygun idealism marks "Condemned." "Get Out" is a tuneful reproach that brings to mind The Vibrators. Craiggers serves up a memorable, simple guitar on the longest intro on the disc. Which allows Dkash to ply his trade, rolling and slamming
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"Nothing To Lose", with its "We are forgotten" chorus, and "Keep The Corpses" invoke the spirit of The Exploited. Crisp vocals delivered with an evil sneer. I could swear the instruments are winking at me. (or spasming) And dig this message, "No skeletons barking about what they’ve seen. Loose ends are sewn up just like mouths." Proposing an almost X-files theory on the fate of POW’s, "The Corps" has an over-under lead running through. "Ain’t Gonna Lose The War" is defiant like a fist in the face. The most fun you ever had with oppression, it’s hopeful and rejuvenating. It is physically impossible for anyone to sing this fast and still have tonality.
This is exactly how you hope bands will sound, but never quite do. Not only does the album bear repeating, I take "Keep The Corpses Quiet" several times a day with pith and vinegar. Keeps ya regular. File alphabetically between Exploited and G.B.H.
-Ewan Wadharmi
Track Listing:
- Who Blames You
- Forced To Believe
- Silent Weapons
- Air Raid
- Revolutionary
- Genocide
- No System
- Outsider
- Condemned
- Get Out
- Nothing To Lose
- Keep The Corpses Quiet
- No More Youth
- The Corps
- Ain’t Gonna Lose The War
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The Forgotten
