A garish sleeve, a name like Mercy Killers and a record called
Bloodlove; you would think this was another shot from the emo-goth cannon, but thankfully Mercy Killers have some more retro roots to ply from.
Whilst there's the spectre of The Clash and even the Decendents hanging over affairs, much of
Bloodlove comes on like Rancid meets Bad Religion. This is a clean yet rugged punk album, trotting along at a brisk pace yet finding time to squeeze in some nice musical flourishes to set
Bloodlove apart from the punk world at large.
Hollow begins with a scuzzy guitar sound, but soon enough there's a squall of happy synths before the usual raw Rancid inclined punk vocals kick in.
Elsewhere there's the clean, fluid guitar lines of Bad Religion in their prime elevating what would be mere gutter punk to more anthemic, fist raising material as on
Not About You or the rapid
I'm Not Wasted.
All over in half an hour,
Bloodlove is a solid, muscular genre release and worth the look of any fan of Hellcat's other releases.
Out on Hellcat now,
www.mercykillers.com
