SOLDIERS OF DESTRUCTION

Cause And Affect

American't
rating icon 7.5 / 10

Track listing:

01. Anti-Them
02. Cracked
03. Death Or Glory
04. End Of A Rope
05. Amphetamines (feat. Nick Oliveri)
06. Cheated
07. Drinking For Two
08. Kilmister
09. Batshit Crazy
10. Also Gazes (feat. Nick Oliveri)
11. Summer Fun
12. Undefeated
13. Sick Of The Sight Of You
14. Symphony Of War


If you're old enough to remember when punk rock was all about broken windows and police sirens rather than wacky lyric videos and brightly colored merchandise, you may find "Cause And Affect" to be a suitably jaw-shattering return to punk propriety. Formed in London in 1981 and splitting three years later, the original SOLDIERS OF DESTRUCTION never bothered a studio, but due to a presumably fascinating series of events, the band recently reunited with a view to dealing with some unfinished business. Now based in Las Vegas, they have clearly picked up exactly where they left off, and delivered a pure, red-blooded blast of raging punk 'n' roll, with seven new songs blending seamlessly with seven songs from the quartet's first incarnation. It's a riot from start to finish.

Noisily suggesting that knowing more than three or four chords is an unnecessary indulgence, SOLDIERS OF DESTRUCTION tear through most of their debut album at a manic pace. "Anti-Them", "Cracked", "Drinking For Two" and the Trump-scorning "Undefeated" are all indecently thrilling, with thuggish hooks and plenty of snot and swagger, while noble Lemmy tribute "Kilmister" is a vastly more exciting and fitting salute to the MOTÖRHEAD legend than certain other high-profile efforts one could mention. Elsewhere, NICK OLIVERI (STONER / ex-KYUSS / QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) teams up with frontman (and music journalism legend) Mörat to scream like a madman on the self-explanatory "Amphetamines" and the darker, dirtier "Also Gazes", while the mid-paced thump of "Sick Of The Sight Of You" dials up the COCK SPARRER vibes with a shout-along chorus to savor.

It's self-evident that the instinct to smash stuff and cause some aggro hasn't left these veterans. "Cause And Affect" taps into the same sense of frustration and drunken chaos that made classic records by the likes of GBH, DISCHARGE, U.K. SUBS and ONE WAY SYSTEM so exhilarating 40 years ago. They took their time to add to that illustrious canon, but the wait was worth it, and SOLDIERS OF DESTRUCTION are cheerfully giving punk rock another much-needed kick, as we say in the UK, up the arse.

Author: Dom Lawson
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).