Reviews

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AMP MAGAZINE

(June/July 2009):
The Brat Attack - Those Who Sow Sorrow Shall Reap Rage

“Out of Winnipeg, Manitoba comes the one-two punch of radical politics and catchy powerful punk courtesy of THE BRAT ATTACK. Bango! Kids, this is it. This is music to energize and inspire you into action. With some razor-throat vocals a la Jake from FiLTH and …some tight, high-energy melodic hardcore/punk a la early PROPAGHANDI and GOOD RIDDANCE you have a winning combination that does not miss. This disc is laced with great songs, but I would say the blistering lead number “Spark” and the female-led “Merchants Of Beauty”were among my top favourites. Another home run from Rebel Time Records. Keep your eye on this up and coming Canadian label (RK)”

From MaximumRockNRoll, Issue 320

Label Review

“Not to be outdone in terms of political (i.e. left) musical output, Rebel Time Records plies the politics with more pop and melody, with the likes of the fantastic CLASS WAR KIDS (LAWRENCE ARMS with PROPAGHANDI’S lyrics), BROADCAST ZERO and BRAT ATTACK”.

Thanks RK! Much appreciated.

Canada was well represented on Ramsey’s list, with SUDDEN DEATH coming in at Number 3 and INSURGENCE RECORDS coming in at Number 5!

AMP Magazine, Issue 41:

The Class War Kids – “Reflection! Rage! Rebellion!”

Newfoundland’s CLASS WAR KIDS are back with a brand new disc packed with their brand of hook-filled, up-tempo punk tunes with socially and politically charged lyrics. Think of a mixed drink or a cocktail (make mine a molotov, please!) containing the following: 2 parts PROPAGHANDI, 1 part ANTI-FLAG and just a splash of ANGEL CITY OUTCASTS. Mmmmm…tasty. Last years “A Strong People Need No Leader” was one of my top albums of the year and “Reflection! Rage! Rebellion!” follows along in that same vein. This CD is a strong one from start to finish, but I’d especially recommend the tracks “Disinformation Age,” Viva Capitalista” and “Fuck The Troops.” (RK)

From the latest issue of RIOT 77, a great punk rock zine out of Ireland…

The Brat Attack - Those Who Sow Sorrow Shall Reap Rage
Some well-informed hardcore here from Canada’s The Brat Attack. In what may be a collection of recent works, this disc gathers together fourteen tracks recorded over the space of six months. Undoubtedly from the same political (and at times musical) stable as fellow Canucks Propaghandi and earlier the Subhumans, this band are vegan torch-bearers out to put an end to the capitalist agenda of conservative world leaders and call for a leveling of the playing field. Truthfully, The Brat Attack can back themselves up pretty well in the booklet that accompanies this release and their politics are ones of inclusion rather than alienation, which makes a refreshing change from being spoken down to, as if often the case with bands as militant as this. A lot of effort has clearly gone into getting their message across correctly, inspiring and informing instead of aggravating the listener. With plenty of info and food for thought to be found here, the ideas expressed are well thought-out and avoid any dogma.

Broadcast Zero - Yesterday, You Could Change The World
Like Youth Brigade on speed, Broadcast Zero are a tight unit, playing no-nonsense Street Punk and Hardcore. Singer Nick Shrubsole has a pair of lungs on him that casts my mind back to hearing Mike Marsden of The Ducky Boys for the first time. Yup, those pipes are about to blow at any given second. The onslaught of Broadcast Zero is rich in the traditions of Punk Rock’s past, but there’s a spirit in here that makes me realize we’ve lost something along the way that this band is eager to put back. Choppy riffs that plough the hooks into your brain with brute force instead of sweetness. Pointing the finger at the outside world whilst maintaining a degree of warmth and affection for the listener, this connected with me on a level I expect from Punk Rock but unfortunately don’t always get.

The Class War Kids - Reflection! Rage! Rebellion!
The Class War Kids from Canada are a heavily politicized bunch of Street Punk miscreants. Musically this reminds me of some of the crossover stuff No Idea has invested in, where Street Punk and Midwestern Hardcore influences don’t seem all that far apart. Both favour singalongs, screeching guitars and pounding drum rhythms. Layer some hoarse vocals over the top and you’ve got a recipe for some very fine music indeed. The added bonus with The Class War Kids is of course their social conscience. The band shows no inhibitions in laying out it’s stall and calling out all those they feel responsible for the current state of trans-global relations. What really tips this record in my favour though is simply the kick-ass songs, that remind me of how good the old Punk Rock can be without all the trimmings. The beefy two-guitar attack lays waste to all in it’s path. Well played.

The Rotten - Enemy Of The State
From Canada, The Rotten are signed to an offshoot label of Insurgence and though no press info accompanied any of the releases from Rebel Time, its safe to say this band operate within the North American Street Punk circuit. With an emphasis placed on rhythm and pace, The Rotten are well aware they aren’t re-inventing the wheel here, but could care less and keep the focus on the good times. The upsurge in bands like this in the 90’s kicked the sheen right off Punk Rock at a time when it needed it most and brought back a sense of fun to the genre that had almost given way to PC histrionics. The Rotten make their point and share their love of a well-constructed Punk tune with the listener. Sometimes all it takes is a guitar lick and a snarl to bring a smile to my face and The Rotten occupy that slot on the stereo today.

Razor Cake

The Class War Kids - Reflection! Rage! Rebellion!

"Class War Kids is an inspired anarcho pop punk band from Newfoundland, Canada. It’s okay that Propagandhi started to suck because this instant classic easily fills their oversized vegan shoes. Some of the lyrics are embarrassingly trite, such as on the anti-rape song, “Never Her Fault.” But others are gleefully confrontational, even by subculture standards. The boldest song mocks present-day military worship and is called “Fuck the Troops.” Other hits include “Cherry Poppin’ Conservatives,” a track about breaking down sexual orientation barriers. Slightly faster and harder than Propagandhi, but Propagandhi is clearly their main musical influence. Female backing vocals add additional flair to an already amazing mix. I bet all of their PC goofiness is merely a ruse to get laid, but as long as they keep making killer records, let these geeks have their fun." –Art Ettinger (Rebel Time)

Just for the record…Rebel Time Records has no problem with Propagandhi!

OLD PUNKS NEVER DIE blog/U.K. distro:

A few choice reviews from one of our favourite blogs

THE BRAT ATTACK – THOSE WHO SOW SORROW SHALL REAP RAGE

This is The Brats fourth album, and I don’t know how the fuck I missed the other three. This is anthemic rebel noise done right proper! Clearly designed to upset our enemies and fire us up in equal measure, the tracks are a finely-tuned and targeted assault on the stupidity that constitutes the current social order. It’s a big target, but The Brats main-line their attack straight into the system’s nerve centre. This is music that goes well beyond the meaningless clichés often found in lesser offerings. This mob know it’s 2009 not 1979 and, while they’re clearly well versed in our history, they’re also fully aware of the reality of the struggle today. ‘Those Who Sow Sorrow…’ is a beautifully angry response to the situation we currently find ourselves in.

That’s not to say they’ve forgotten their roots – there are definitely nods to the likes of Aus Rotten and The (English) Subhumans in their approach, but there’s also a strong flavour of bang-up-to-date melodic streetpunk underpinning the whole lot. Of course, without the intelligent, witty, and straight-talking lyrics, this would be nothing more than pleasing ear candy à la Rancid, and there’s more than enough of that sort of nonsense in the world already. The Brats are clearly not a part of that poseur punk mindset. It’s abundantly clear that they’re willing to accept the challenge of making punk rock a threat again.

The accompanying promo sheet nicely summarises the whole package as ‘a hummus-powered, positive & purposeful punk rock radical-left political primer… [that's] even got melody, hooks & a catchy chorus or two!’. This is the sound that fills you with hope as you put a match to the Molotov in your hand and in your head.

OP’s opinion: @@@@@

THE CLASS WAR KIDS – REFLECTION! RAGE! REBELLION!

I love this band! I want to have their babies and breed an army of punk rock superheroes hell-bent on creating regime-changing anarchy! OK, I know that I don’t have the appropriate ladybits required for babymaking but, if I did, my womb would be theirs. These young soul rebels have revolution etched into their genetic make-up.

This disc picks up from where the last one left off without simply being more of the same. It keeps all of the energy, urgency and humour that hooked me first time without sounding in the least bit rehashed. You could quite happily play their entire recorded output back to back and enjoy every fist-pumping, life-enhancing, sweat-soaked second of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if you then pressed ‘repeat’ and did it all over again.

Even at their most serious, The Kids aren’t afraid of making you laugh while they fire you up. When they tackle sexual indoctrination and self-restriction in ‘Cherry Poppin’ Conservatives’, they do it with a literal ‘fuck you’ attitude, happily asserting that ‘it don’t matter who’s into penis or vagina, if you like ‘em both, best of ya!’. The remedy is to ‘whip it out, slap it around’ while also making sure that Christian Conservatives get their ‘ass cherry popped!’. Sounds like one hell of a party.

The funnies don’t always fit the theme, and that’s where the poetry of their message shines through. ‘The reason I’m so angry is because I’m so in love, I won’t give up but one heart can only bleed so much for a world so fucked up’ (‘Love & Anger’) captures the essence of why we feel so compelled to scream out, and how we’re building a future based on love as we kick down the world around us.

This whole package brings to life Raoul Vaneigem’s lesson that ‘people who talk about revolution and class struggle without referring explicitly to everyday life, without understanding what is subversive about love and what is positive in the refusal of constraints, such people have a corpse in their mouth’. In true punk rock style, The Kids spat the corpse out a long time ago.

OP’s opinion: @@@@@

THE ROTTEN – ENEMY OF THE STATE

On first listen, I was a bit underwhelmed by this offering. But I quickly realised that my mistake was playing this straight after the other two and not giving my brain a chance to reset. Much like wine appreciation, you need to clean your aural palate when enjoying fine music.

Suitably refreshed, I hit play again. What a difference a cup of tea makes to your ears. The Rotten may not have quite the same the musical or lyrical prowess of their label breathren, but that doesn’t stop ‘em expressing themselves in no uncertain terms. The noise is stripped down, punked up and gobbed out in the finest tradition of the old school style. There’s a decent dose of street politics and wrong-side-of-the-tracks anger aimed at the ‘great and good’, as well as tongue-in-cheek humour and the desire to just have fun. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

The influence of Canuck punk pioneers DOA courses through the veins of these 21st century (angelic) upstarts, underpinning but not overpowering this rough diamond of a record.

The Rotten – they’re anything but.

OP’s opinion: @@@@