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Reviews
Enough
Fanzine (Germany)
UK´s Buzzkill are taking over with this 8 track full length CD. Rocket from
The Crypt watch out, here comes some serious trouble for you. Rocking, trumpet
and saxophone driven Punk´n´Roll to go off to. Nothing more left to
say, check it out for yourself!
Summary:
No more words to waste- just give some horny punk´n´roll to me! Kerrang
KKKK
Top notch Raunch 'n' Roll debut from Leeds.
As album opener 'Mr Furious' stomps, spits and pirouettes dangerously from the
speakers you could almost swear that buzzkill were actually Rocket From The Crypt
disguised as a five-piece from Leeds. All the ingredients are there from the raw
punk rock 'n' roll guitars, through the bolshy, vibrant horn section right down
to the ragged vocals of frontman Matt Colmer. However, while there are worse cult
icons they could have picked, Buzzkill are not content to merely ape, stamping
their own unique imprint across the remainder of their debut instead. The San
Diegans's shadow can still be felt, but it's imbued with a darker, off-kilter
slant that sounds at times like an avant-garde jazz troupe rucking with the Clash
as they both fall down a flight of stairs. Now that's entertainment! (Paul Travers)
Rocksound
(May 2003)
Now this is more like it! Some down and dirty rock 'n' roll from
Leeds (yes, some bands do remember how to rock outside of Scandinavia)
Similar to Rocket From The Crypt due to the gritty vocals and
inclusion of a horn section (not to mention tunes that are spoiling
for a real cool time). Some of this even makes me think about
what the Kinks might have sounded like had they played their sets
whilst mud wrestling a gang of wild lions in a squat! They may
be unwilling to trade their grog for girls, but somehow still
maintain the sexy swagger of an absinthe-dosed trailer-park failed
model. Forget your old favorite band and vote Buzzkill! -
8/10
(Chris Brownsword)
Fracture
#25
Three things should be delivered fast in this life. One is beer
on the bar, and it should be cold. Two is cards on the felt, and
they should be blessed. Three is rock 'n' roll on the stage and
it should be loud. And it sounds like BUZZKILL are subscribers
to this recipe for life's contentment as they crank out a scorching
bundle of songs on "Double Down". It's a formula that
Chuck Berry and Little Richard first conceived a few decades ago
and has now been simmered down to a potent blend of rock 'n' roll
with the snarl and sneer of a punk rock delivery. BUZZKILL deliver
their riffs and hooks from the same speakers as bands like the
SUPERSUCKERS and RFTC but with the fuck you attitude of the NEW
BOMB TURKS when they'd honed their edges on "At Rope's End"
(which incidentally is worth digging out of your vaults as I discovered
recently). The gloss of a two-piece brass section that sits right
in the midst of the rock is the olive in the cocktail. Rock and
roll, no punches pulled or hidden agendas, just fast, loud, hookladen
rock 'n' roll. That's all you need. (RR)
Metal
Hammer May 2003
With salacious rock 'n' roll increasing marginalized and sanitised
in this homogenous meat market of a musical zeitgeist, what a
rare pleasure it is to encounter a band who deal exclusively in
the original and genuine article. In essence, Buzzkill are exactly
what you would expect The Supersuckers to sound if they were young,
hungry and from Leeds. There are other souls who operate similar
levels of over-cranked intensity, but Buzzkill seem so uncontaminated
by today's cynical pretensions, and so possessed of a blazing,
feral honesty, that they're irresistible. With West Yorkshire's
very own hot-wired Richard Hell fronting a veritable firestorm
of riff-propelled sass, Buzzkill will rekindle your faith in delinquent
rock 'n 'roll - 7/10
( Ian Fortnam)
Reason
To Believe #9
8 track mini CD from Leeds' kings of garage rock'n'roll. Whilst
in the past they've been guilty of copying Rocket From The Crypt
a bit too much, this release goes far to establish their own identity.
In places when they deviate from straightforward r'n'r they almost
veer towards a Chicago-esque sound, which is a pretty good blend.
On their demo I was critical that the singer was lacklustre (or
hungover), well here he really goes for it and forfills his potential
to good effect., plenty of howling etc. It's about time they had
a release this strong to show for their efforts. A great lively
recording from a great lively band. Check this out. (JK)
Maximum
Rock N Roll
Scared of this already (twenty seconds into track one). Lumpy
herk and jerk from a British outfit that incorporates trumpet
and both alto and tenor sax. The high-school marching band on
cider and mothballs. Opening track 'Mr Furious' thumps. 'Casino'
wins by advantage of the punchy horns (in fact it all hearkens
back to the SAINTS' Eternally Yours LP, which also used a brass
section to good effect). The singer's got a gasping yelp of a
voice that perhaps rubs me the wrong direction - but at least
the band has a vaguely unique trip happening, and they grate a
hell of a lot less than other bands of musicians. Best track 'I'll
Take The Alcohol', (JH)
Drowned
In Sound
4 1/2 out of 5
Boy am I in the mood for this album! Like a firecracker under
your mate's bar-stool, this eight-tracker explodes with a reckless,
beer-fuelled rock'n'roll party attitude that is as relentless
in its attack as it is righteously chaotic. Positively overdosing
with the same punk rock intensity as fellow Leeds act The Sex
Maniacs, songs such as the raucous ‘Nothing on Me’
fire out of the speakers with all the power of a double-barrel
shotgun, while others dress up the cool sleaze of JSBX with the
raw energy of Detroit gun slingers Zeke (‘I’ll Take
The Alcohol’), Murder City Devils (‘Big City Taxi’)
and even Division of Laura Lee (‘Lost In The Sauce’).
The
song titles alone give you a good idea of the kind of rock ’n’
roll head stomp Buzzkill create: the kind of music perfect for
putting on when the pubs have shut too early and all you wanna
do is drink and party all night, on your own if necessary. This
is loud. This is fiery. This will kick your ass.
Ox
(Germany)
Obacht! Bitte das (UK) hinter dem Bandnamen beachten! Genau, das
sind nicht die grandiosen BUZZKILL, die früher auf Alternative
Tentacles veröffentlicht haben, sondern eine englische Band
gleichen Namens, die hiermit ihr Debüt am Start haben, bestehend
aus acht Songs, davon vier vom Demo und vier nagelneue Studiotracks.
Und
nicht nur wegen der teilweise eingesetzten Bläser (Saxophon
und Trompete), sondern auch wegen der Dynamik, der groovenden
Rhythmik und des Sängers fühle ich mich hier immer wieder
an ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT erinnert - und ich kann mir nicht vorstellen,
dass BUZZKILL (UK) darüber beleidigt sind. Stellt
man sich dann noch etwas HELLACOPTERS und ZEN GUERILLA als Einfluss
vor, kann man den Sack mit den schönen Assoziationen auch
schon zuschnüren. Also, RFTC-Fans, zugreifen! (22:03) (7/10)
Water
Into Beer #5
Buzzkill seem to have been around forever but have only just started
getting the recognition they deserve with a couple of vinyl releases
and now this new CD mini album. Try as they might I can't not
compate them to Rocket From The Crypt, but they're not a complete
rip off band. The songs start and stop with great sax interludes
makin most of the songs bloody great. The music sometimes veers
towards that of The Blue Meanies because of the healthy use of
saxophone and the thumping of the drums. All this makes this one
great rock 'n' roll record release that everyone should hear.
(Tim)
Riot
77 (Ireland)
Conjuring up thoughts of Rocket From The Crypt,
with their brass section and full on rock'n'roll antics, Buzzkill
are from Leeds of all places and not America as you would be lead
to believe. Devilishly handsome and well-groomed guys with professional
looking CD packaging throws you a bit as the music is ten times
better than it looks on the outside. An eight track affair makes
up this pretty darn good mini CD. The singer has quite a set of
lungs on him and roars his way over the full on drive of the band.
Fair enough, he puts on an American accent, but you can't really
sing this type of stuff with one of those "Aye! Up!! Pint
of Tetleys" voices, can ya?
Decavity
Fanzine
Man
I fucking love this band, I've seen em live about 5 times and
every time they get even better, and it's about fucking time they
brought out an album, those who were blown away by the Adam John
Killip split will love this. What you get is 8 tracks of Rocket
From The Crypt/New Bomb Turks style rock'n'roll, I'm a big fan
of Rocket and to be honest the tracks on here are way better than
they've put out in the last few years. I can't praise this album
enough, if you love high energy rock'n'roll that's catchy as fuck
then you can't do without this record!!
Collective-Zine
In
At The Deep End Records seem to be pushing a few new bands around
the map these days, and Buzzkill are assuredly one of the best.
This
is dirty, scuzzy, rock ‘n’ roll of the highest order,
mixed with bits of hardcore and jazz and with enough melody to
make the tracks catchy and hard-hitting. Every track screams out
that it wants to be played loud, and the music brings to mind
The Hives or The Von Bondies, but with more of a punk vibe. Of
course, with so much energy in each song, things can eventually
get a little bit samey, but Buzzkill always manage to rescue proceedings
and pull a gem out of the bag. Just as track three ‘Big
City Taxi’ finishes with a whimper, the riffing on ‘I’ll
Take The Alcohol’ kicks in and brings a smile back to any
tired features. The hardcore influence is obvious with the length
of the tracks, most of which come in at under three-minutes. The
eight songs are blasted out in 22 minutes of furious riffs and
pounding drums. Despite
the aged sound of Iggy Pop and The Ramones, Buzzkill still manage
to be one of the most original bands I’ve heard in some
time. This Leeds based five-piecehave bucked the turgid emo-screamo-hardcore
trend and come up with something far more refreshing. It’s
mean, it’s dirty, it’s noisy, and it’s very
good. In a word, brilliant.
No
Front Teeth
Hell
YEAH!!!! This is fucking packed full of style and swagger. Just
from the opening riff of 'Mr Furious' this album rocked the joint.
Big fucking riffs with rock n roll vocals and a big measure of
fuck you, BUZZKILL rip it up on this release kinds like NEW BOMB
TURKS and ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT. Man, even the song titles are
cool: 'I'll take the alcohol' and 'Lost in the sauce' it's clear
to see what these boys are all about, drinking and punk rock n
roll.
Leeds
Music Scene
What hasn't been said about these guys? Rocket from
the Crypt? Check. New Bomb Turks. Well, not in my general playlist at home, but
I had a listen, and, check. Riotous punk rock'n'roll laced with ska, a poisonous
cocktail that will take you by the throat, throw you around the room, kick you
in the balls and make you throw up all over your cool new HMV-bought The Hives
CD. I mean, hardcore rawwwk. Errm, check? Lyrics that sound something like "I'll
never trade a drink for a girl again. I'll take the alcohol, it'll never get a
hold" and songs about Big City Taxis. Look, I'll not write anything that
is vaguely as interesting as this 8-track album; it's a must buy, and from probably
one of the Leeds' leading lights... Mass
Movement
By
the sound of their new CD, if Buzzkill came round your house, they'd eat everything
in the fridge, consume all your (legal and illegal) drugs, pass out on the couch
and accidentally piss on the dog at four in the morning when they were trying
to find the bathroom. This is lowdown and dirty punk rock, somewhere in between
Rocket From The Crypt and the Supersuckers; not quite totally to my taste (particularly
the saxophonic frippery) but certainly very good for what it is, and exactly the
kind of band you know would blow you out of your boots live on the right night.
Here we get 7 booze-ridden anthems and the slightly out-of place closer "Kill
It", which locks into a rather surprisingly Jesus Lizard-esque groove. Overall,
a good CD for getting revved up to enjoy some nice brown booze down pub. (KT) In
It, On It
If
anyone says Buzzkill sound like Rocket From The Crypt - it's because they do -
in a fucking fantastic kinda way. This is frantic as fuck, brass heavy punk with
attitude, energy and shouting along, fists in the air refrains. If you don't like
this it's because you're to busy getting a golden shower from a Jehovah's Witness. Punknew.org.uk
I'm not sure which aspect of Rock n Roll triggers
something primal deep in the brain, but Leeds band Buzzkill have bottled it.
Their
transformation from Nirvana tribute band to dipsomaniac punk 'n rollers has taken
more twists than the Jive Bunny. Formed in the mid nineties, their first demo
was a Jack-of-all-trades effort and their second nailed down a Rocket From the
Crypt with flat cap edge . Snapped up by IATDE records chief Mark Swinney after
he reviewed their demo for his UkBase zine, 'Double Down' consists of four tracks
recorded in the Blind Bear 7' sessions in June 2002 but not included in the split
with Adam Killip, and four recorded in February this year. While
the split record showcased Buzzkill's pop sensibilities, the four tracks from
the same session used here could hardly be more caustic or fiery. Ocean liner
riffs anchor the quiff-punk assault of Mr Furious', and the hive-of-wasps horn
assault of 'Big City Taxi' is tequila in the belly rock and roll song. Nevertheless,
'I'll take the alcohol' surpasses all previous efforts, boasting a fizzling guitar
hook with B17 engine brass backing no other British band could live with. What's
even more encouraging is that the quality of Buzzkill's new material outshines
the split-era fayre. The anti-authoritarian clamour of 'Nothin' on me' is a fitting
starter to 4 more rip roaring tracks with added vocal bent. Matt Colmer's bawling,
hooting and spluttering takes centre stage for 'Lost in the Sauce', the aural
equivalent of Hong Kong's infamous Dentist's Chair. 'Two Times' and "Kill
it' don't quite have the same sparkle. Buzzkill are an oddity in a trend-infatuated
UK punk market; a band doing something totally brave and unique and doing it stonkingly
well, with only two humdrum tracks out of eight prevent a 5 can EP. Don't dismiss
them as NME fodder either. If the Datsuns or Hives belong in the hairdressers
of this world, the only place you're going to find Buzzkill is puking in a back
alley. Aficionados of firewater fuelled punk n roll will love this.
4/5 Playdead
Zine
From the very first 'YEAH!', we are most definitely listening
to Britain's answer to Rocket from the Crypt. Now although the likeness may be
a little close for comfort that's fine by me because RFTC are genius, and if they
haven't got the balls to come over here due to 'the current situation in Iraq'
(Jeeesus Speedo, what the fuck!? etc.) then I guess Buzzkill will serve as a suitable
replacement, until the real RFTC crypt stop being losers and get on a plane again.
Ok, back to the music, what can I say? 8 tracks of hi charged, hi octane, brass
infected punk action. Every second demands your attention and does everything
possible to make sure it gets it bringing in as much melody as there is grinding
riffs, Buzzkill pull off the good time, tuneful, punk rock down to a tee. So if
you're miserable, don't bother with Buzzkill, but if you like to enjoy yourself
and don't mind a good bit of hard melodic punk with a touch of America and an
even bigger touch of brass, then you are on my side and will therefore think this
is a damn fine collection of songs. (MB) Amplify
This
It’s
time to get your Brylcreem® and bowling shirts out, because Buzzkill are here
and wanna rock you like they did back in yer Ma and Pa’s day (Well, mine
at least). From the off, they seem intent on being England’s Rocket From
The Crypt, but if they don’t mind, then why should we? Over the course of
the 8 tracks, brazen hooks give way to some nice ideas and touches that show that
Buzzkill are not simply following in others’ footsteps. ‘Lost In The
Sauce’ and ‘Kill It’ in particular give the record somewhere else
to go and hint at what they might be capable of doing in the future. I for one
will be very interested to see what they do next. Aside from ‘Double Down’
sounding so like a RFTC record and a lack of any real vocal character, this is
a pretty good release for a band with a good live rep. Sure, you can hit the Derivative
Alarm but I would suggest that you hop on board instead and fire your six-shooters
in the air with the rest of them. It’s not the genre-busting record the blurb
claims, but if you’re aiming for good time punk’n’roll, then that
don’t matter one bit.
(8.5/10) - Gareth Pugh Do
The Dog #29
Driving brass
injected punk'n'roll on the mould of Rocket From The Crypt is very much the order
of the day on Buzzkill's new CD, titled 'Double Down', on In At The Deep End Records. Feedback
Magazinet
Eight songs and an album that is only 22 minutes long, this is the debut by Leeds-based
act Buzzkill. This is high octane stuff, with the sweat and heat just pushing
out of the speakers, yet the horns add that melodic element that keeps all of
the band in check. It is strangely addictive stuff with very high melodic content.
By being such a short album none of the enthusiasm and passion is lost, and the
result is the feeling that this band is going to build quite a following on the
live circuit where they obviously belong. Punktastic
For some daft reason I get Buzzkill and Beecher mixed up, so when I put this cd
on and I wasn't met with some screaming noisecore, I was a little miffed. Then
I read the press release, which as usual is head and shoulders above those of
most labels, and quickly got an education. Based In Leeds, Buzzkill take that
old-fashioned no frills rock and roll attitude and mix it up with a fierce punk
snarl. Mix in some jazz and hardcore and you have an eclectic mix that forms this
fivesome. Take the slickness away from Rocket From The Crypt, rough it all up
and have them running around on Crack and the sum of those parts make Buzzkill.
'Double
Down' is 22 mins of originality. I can't think of another UK band that come anywhere
close to sounding like them, there's just so much going on that if anything it's
an interesting listen even if you don't enjoy it. In a similar sense to the new
Adequate 7 record, it pushes the envelope and at least has a go at breaking back
boundaries. Having said that though, when has there ever been an identikit post-hardcore
or pop-punk record put out on IATDE? Although everything sounds great recorded
you can sense that Buzzkill are going to be twice the band in a live setting.
With so much going on you almost need that visual aspect to be able to take it
all in, hence the reason why this receives 3.5 and nothing higher. Living up to
its name, opener 'Mr Furious' rattles the cages and attempts to break the shackles
of the genre confinements. With the sax playing alongside the guitars, and Matt's
vocals easily on a par with that of RFTC's Speedo, there's enough going on here
to have everyone air drumming or tapping along. The backing 'hey's' add an extra
dimension to the forceful 'Casino', while a driving bassline kicks off the dirty
'Big City Taxi'. There's ska in 'I'll Take Alcohol', probably the song that when
performed live would kick off some kind of dance-a-thon. But there are stale points
too. After a while the 8 tracks can grate a little because they do follow a similar
formula, while 'Lost In Sauce' borrows heavily from a guitar riff already used
by The Take. The tone of the guitars is also a bit samey and sometimes when you
await the musical explosion, it doesn't quite kick off. See 'Two Times' as a prime
example - the track builds and builds but vocalist Matt doesn't actually blow
up (although not literally!) It leaves me thinking how exciting the unhibited
live version must be. Points are always awarded for originality and this scores
highly. Somewhere along the line the quality of the songs doesn't quite live up
to initial expectations, but you can certainly tell that there will be a 'buzz'
about this band live. Ones to keep an eye, and an ear, on. Infinite
Monkey
Surprised
it's taken Buzzkill so long to get a proper release out. Anyway it's 8 tracks
of top notch Rocket from The Crypt style stuff, excellent stuff. Only got it this
morning so I can't really say much else. |
£5
€9
$12
£8