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NEXT STOP ARMAGEDDON
(Kung Fu)
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The God Awfuls’ punk pedigree is solid: their label is run by the Vandals’ Joe Escalante, and their debut was produced by the Dwarves’ Blag Dahlia. So it’s no surprise that this album is raw without being amateurish. In the video for "Watch It Fall," guitarist Kevin De Franco and bassist Kyle Lumsden trade urgent lead vocals, and the maniacal riffs are descended from both thrash and psychobilly. They show off their harmonies on the chorus, which rallies for working-class revolution: "Tear down the old foundation brick by brick and watch it fall." The God Awfuls may not be breaking new ground here, but they’ve got the songs to back up their youthful energy. The band’s primary muse is the seedy side of their LA home town: "No rock stars, no big cars, you won’t find them here," they howl on "American Nightmare." On "Bullets & Batons," they open with a playful new-wave groove before launching into a pulverizing attack on police brutality. The disc’s most vulnerable moment is "Sister," which uses savage hardcore to express the sadness and anger of personal betrayal. These punks know how to write catchy tunes without pandering to the mainstream. (The God Awfuls open for Stiff Little Fingers this Saturday, August 21, at the Paradise, 967 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston; call 617-562-8800.)
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