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Reviews
Kerrang
KKKK
Leeds
Punk ‘N’ Rollers Flip The Devils Horns.
Rock bands with a horn section often equate to frothy, parpy lightweight
fun, but thankfully no-one convinced John Zorn, Capdown or indeed
Buzzkill that it was compulsory. Less Reel Big Fish and more Rocket
From the Crypt dragged up on a dodgy Leeds tenement and purged
of the hammy tendencies, the Yorkshire quintet serve up a resolutely
dark and dense yet pile-driving slab of gritty, punk-fuelled rock
‘n’ roll. The trumpet and saxophone add a sleek and
sinuous line to yob-anthem hooks and riffs as raw as a freshly-picked
scab while the songs themselves are both explosive and infectious
enough to make this a gusset-wettingly splendid full-length debut.
Organ
(Album of the Week)
I
like Buzzkill, satisfying artwork for a start, good from the off
(again), details like artwork matter. Buzzkill do it a little
differently, they’ve got class - horned up punk rock class,
hang on though, come back, I said COME BACK! Buzzkill are NOT
another damn ska punk band with a brass section, not an inch of
ska punk conformity here. This is full on speeding rushing urgent
road pizza punk rock with a sax/trumpet brass drive. An inner
city unit from deepest Leeds right out there loosing friends and
making enemies – they sound like their name, this is indeed
buzzkill punk rock. They’ve got ‘it’, they’ve
got the magic, they’ve got the extra edge, they’ve
got the bite and they don’t sound like anyone but themselves.
Fluid, crisp, warm, demanding and delivering that final payment,
blasting out a certain positive consistency is a sea of negativity
- a hot wired storm of energy and if they did borrow it off anyone
else then the witnesses have all been taken out, Buzzkill are
here to stay - nothing ever changes, everything does.... Fast
punk rock rucks and broken glass and driving horns and urgent
songs that leave an impression. Buzzkill taste of The Clash and
Blaggers ITA and Supersuckers, mostly they taste of Buzzkill,
oh yes, you need this one.
Rocksound
7/10
Innovation
in music is always commendable, but most rock fans will occasionally
crave something that satisfies on a much less cerebral level.
Put simply, there are times when you don’t want high art;
instead you want no-nonsense rock’n’roll that grabs
from the outset and stubbornly refuses to let go. Enter West Yorkshire’s
Buzzkill. More suited to soundtracking a night on the tiles than
an intense chin-stroking session. ‘Driven By Loss’
evokes the spirit of first-wave garage rock, only to punch it
in the face and thrust a stick of dynamite up it’s rear
end. This is greasy-quiffed, horn-propelled, turbo-charged rock’n’roll
with a defiant punk streak and a broad shit-eating grin plastered
across its face. Granted, it’s about as fashionable as Michael
Jackson, but for 32 all-too-brief minutes Buzzkill make everyday
life that little but sweeter.
Mass
Movement
Been
a few years since their last album which was great by the way
and it really is no surprise that this one rocks hard too. This
to me is the UK's answer to Rocket From The Crypt musically and
although Matt Colmers vocals are quite different to Speedo's (not
as thick and soul based) they do the job more than adequately.
You guys really need to check this band out and see what I'm saying.
These guys rock hard and I wanna see them live now. When's the
tour? Pete
Last
Hours
Buzzkill
play punky, horn-driven rock’n’roll and hail from
my current city of residence, Leeds. Immediate comparisons would
be Rocket from the Crypt or (a vastly improved) Danko Jones. This
is a really danceable album and contains just right the right
amount of cheese to keep it entertaining. Musically it is really
proficient and generally great fun to listen to. Recommended!
(12-oh-5)
New
Noise
High
energy punk rock music. Or, as it proudly says on their skull
and crossbones band emblem, "West Yorkshire Rock 'n' Roll".
Buzzkill add trumpet and sax to the standard power trio guitar
+ bass + drums + one of them sings. Don't think ska-punk though,
'Driven By Loss' is meaner and moodier than that, death and loss
are writ large in the lyrics, vocals and minor key riffs. Even
punks get low, and not just because of the twin pressures of scene
conformance and high maintenance hair cuts. Buzzkill understand
and do a good job of cheering up.
Pure
Rock 8/10
Buzzkill
are signed to the extremely good label "In At The Deep End
Records" and hail from Leeds in the Uk. The band have played
with the likes of The Distillers, Hot Water Music, Capdown and
The Damned and play a unique style of punk tinged Rock N' Roll.
To get things started I'll say now, Buzzkill are like nothing
I've heard before. They are a straight up horn driven Rock N'
Roll band with their toes dipping into the punk rock pool. However
this doesn't spell out a ska-punk band at all, they have created
a sound that is their own and let me tell you now, it's immensely
loud. The band gather together a comprehensive range of styles
throughout the album, making it interesting but keeping it cranked
to eleven at all times. The album clocks in at almost 40 minutes
long and each musician is giving it their all from beginning to
end. The energy portrayed on this cd is huge and is what seems
to be lacking from most rock albums these days. I'm pretty sure
that at the time of writing this review, my neighbours now think
I have a live band playing in my bedroom. I'm going to recommend
that you check Buzzkill and this album out if you're the kind
of person that gets kicks from simply rocking out. It's hard to
label this band to any particular style of music and the chances
are, they will appeal to a broad range of people whether your
thing is ska, punk, metal or simply straight up rock. If it's
similiarities to other bands you're looking for then that's a
tough one but "Rocket From The Crypt" is a popular choice
that's jumping about in various reviews. So in my conclusion,
every rock fan needs to go out and buy "Driven By Loss"
now. It's time once again to shatter your windows and piss off
your neighbours. This one will create a whole new breed of "Bedroom
Rock Stars".
.44
Caliber 8/10
Leeds is the buzz city of the UK right now thanks to a certain
bunch of Kaiser Chiefs, but despite calling the West Yorkshire
city their home, latest offerings Buzzkill couldn't sound further
away from the polite pop strops of their local peers. In fact,
as opener 'Once A Liar' confirms within seconds, they actually
sound like they're cruising with the top down in 1950's USA, complete
with hammy American accents and, um, trumpets. This is loud, fearless
rock 'n' roll of the kind Goldblade hold so dear, it's swaggering
riffs tinctured by taut brass and beaten into form by some thick,
fat melodies. Except this is somehow better than Goldblade, as
though it's creators have a more refined understanding of how
to pack a song full of emotional unrest yet still fill the dancefloor.
'Broken Picture', for example, is hardly an ode to happiness and
fulfilment, but when lyrics like "a promise or a lie, who
can fucking tell these days?" is backed by a storm of decidedly
plump riffs having seven shades of shit kicked out of them by
a couple of trumpets, a belting rhythm section and a chorus the
size of a small country, it's hard to do anything other than dance
your legs down to the knees. And this is the secret of 'Driven
By Loss'. Essentially, it's a document of loss, loneliness and
generally being pretty fucking fed-up, yet deep-seated misery
never sounded so good! Ironically, this is an out-and-out party
album, in the same way The Smiths were never really a grim soundtrack
to the painful unpredictability of life but a celebration of it.
From the driving 'Same City, Different City' to the the positively
growling 'Heartbreak Inferno', Buzzkill have succeeded in crafting
songs that simultaneously arrest the heart, head and hips, a feat
drastically unachievable by many of their peers. Furthermore,
a total album length of forty minutes means that not one track
outstays it's welcome.
You're
Not Alone Zine (Holland)
Well
when I hear IATDE releases it's most of the time original heavy
and metallic hardcore what you get. but this time it's something
different. Buzzkill from Leeds play a mix of Rock 'N' Roll and
punkrock in a very loud way. And again it's an unique album and
that's mainly because of the use of a trumpet and saxophone. Don't
think of ska influences or anything, the trumpet and sax just
add some melody in the Buzzkill sound and that's very interesting.
Buzzkill is hard to be compared with other names because of the
melody in the songs and it's a band that can be easily picked
up by a huge audience cause it's very ease to listen too although
it's loud and rock n roll music. I love it.
Glasswerks
The
sound on Buzzkill’s latest release “Driven by loss”
is what many bands and producers are after when they talk about
“That live feel”-the sound has an urgency and ability
to make you think Buzzkill are actually playing in the room.
Very quickly Buzzkill pull out strong songs, simple in execution-as
only punk can-but still managing to sound inventive. The core
sound here is punk rock, with occasional moments where the changes
go slightly dark-almost Metallica, like their cover of The Misfits
“Green hell”. For the most part, with the addition
of a sax and trumpet, songs like “In my head” &”Burning
yesterdays” have a Hives feel; the sax and trumpet are more
than just arbitrary icing though, they make the songs even more
melodically accessable.Matt Colmer’s vocals swing and contort
and have an Andy Cairns psycho screaming to them-at times Therapy
can indeed be heard in some songs.
This is more than “Three chords and a trumpet” though,”
Nothing left” is very strong, the band comfortable and enjoying
the madness. Carl Glovers Bass really shines on “Burning
yesterdays” as does Charlie’s drums and the interplay
within the song shows just how tight this band is. The guitar
work through-out is excellent running the gaunt of AC/DC chord
stabs of “Holding on to the floor”, through punk blues
to almost ska,the intro for “City of mice” being the
most notable.
At times “Rocket from the crypt” seem like influences,
but Buzzkill refuse to be easily categorized, instead relying
wisely on good songs-highlights of “Driven by loss”
are definitely “Once a liar”,” City of mice”,
“Burning yesterdays” and “Broken picture”-any
one of these would make an excellent single choice and have the
possibility of crossing over and appealing to metal, punk &
ska fans alike.
Whisperin
& Hollerin 8/10
Aside from the sheer ferocity and relentless ack-ack drive of
their raw, seething punk rock, the fact in-your-face rock testifiers
BUZZKILL actually hail from Leeds is something of a smack around
the kipper. After all, aside from the mean and magnificent Scaramanga
Six, no-one that your reviewer has previously discovered in the
West Yorks hinterland is operating with the sort of manic intensity
once displayed by the likes of Rocket From The Crypt. Indeed,
just the venomous, balls-to-the-wall crunch of the snake-eyed
opener "Once A Liar" is enough to mark Buzzkill out
as a much more sinister presence in the current rock jungle. They
are pushed to the max by Matt Colmer's whiplash chords and throat-scouring
vocals, while rhythm section Carl Glover (bass ) and Charlie Batten
(drums) pile on and pulverise and unlikely horn section Matt Perrot
(sax) and Ben Whittington (trumpet) gamely punctuate as and when
they can rise above the melee. It
makes a thrilling, if relentlessly challenging ride too. The aptly-titled
"Driven By Loss" is seethingly fast, furious and controlled.
It straddles punk and rock'n'roll and gets its' bollocks caught
on the barbed wire of broken relationships and general hopelessness
in the process. Whether you can take the all-too-real fatalism
of Colmer's Hank Rollins-style delivery is a moot point and if
you find the "My War"-esque lyrical overload (e.g :
"No regrets? No fucking chance/ Sick to teeth of feeling
so pathetic" - "City Of Mice") overwhelming you
may struggle. This is NOT a good-time record and has none of the
occasional RFTC cartoon-y bits for good measure, so be warned.
However, in terms of sheer, adrenaline-soaked aggression and cranked
to the nth-degree punk excitement, "Driven By Loss"
takes some beating. Much of it ("Broken Picture", "The
Devil's Eyes") is fast, frenetic and exhilaratingly breakneck,
though occasionally - the damning, vicious "In My Head"
, the scum-dominating-the-streets snaphshot of "Same City,
Different City" - they slow it down (marginally) to let a
little stale air in to breathe. Mostly, though, there's no let
up and when they leave you with the, er, anthemic delights of
the title track (sample chorus: "Fuck you, my sweetness!")
they show themselves to be the old romantics we all imagined,
armed with flowers, Milk Tray and a welcoming 6" gold blade
in their back pockets. So
don't bother seeking out "Driven By Loss" if you need
succour and aural comfort and joy. However, if you're in town
for essential, oblivion-bound rock'roll with the emphasis on glorious
nihilism, then step right up. Self-laceration has rarely sounded
so engaging.
Playdead
Buzzkill
are essentially Rocket From The Crypt from Leeds. There now that
that's out of the way I can get on with the review!! This, their
first full lengther us exactly what you'd expect - driving chords,
a killer brass section, engaging vocals all wrapped with a rock
and roll swagger. And that's pretty much the case of every song
on here. Every single one. This is undoubtably the loudest and
best excuted CD of the pile this issue and for that hats off to
them.
Room
Thirteen 10/13
Buzzkill
are definitely a band that improve with repeated listening, just
as long as you realise that they demand your full attention -
'Driven by Loss' is not easy listening, and would beat up lift
music if it had a chance. They somehow manage to combine dirty
rock 'n' roll, punk, and ska that starts off being brilliant before
losing its shine a little bit. That too, and the fact that the
more I listen, the more I realise that there's something of Blood
Brothers running through it too. The whole thing would be better
if only the band didn't try so hard to be American when they're
from a town in Yorkshire and there was a touch more variation
into their music. To start from the beginning, 'Once a Liar' is
as good an opening track as you're going to get. It rolls in tightly
wound and highly sprung more full of tension than drunken fight,
but once the trumpet and sax kick in it unwinds into a mighty
Madness meets rock 'n' roll fiend. It's safe to say the trumpet
and sax really make this album, saving it from a fate of being
average. 'Broken Picture' is evidence of this, with a ska trumpet
riff breaking up the thunderous, grinding guitars - it's amazing
how a bit of trumpet can lift a track like that. But after the
ska-rock nuttiness, 'Nothing Left' sounds just like Metallica
with added brass. Singer Matt's vocals share too many similarities
with James Hetfield for comfort, and the heavy, rolling guitars
don't make for a good tune. Having said that, the brass melodies
quickly become predictable on 'In My Head' and 'City of Mice'.
Despite that, it's undeniable that 'In My Head' is a bloody good
tune - no doubt aided by its brevity at just under two minutes.
'City of Mice' would definitely have benefited from a pruning
- if ever there was a song that fitted the description 'painfully
dragged out', this is it. It's fortunate for them, then, that
'Devil's Eyes' is a damn sight better. It's rocks up where 'Broken
Picture' left off, delivering some of the 'brand new swagger'
that the press release was promising. It's dirty, desperate and
does everything a punk rock song should do. And so the madness
rolls on, even if does get rather oppressive after a while. It's
hard not to like the irrepressible spirit of holding onto the
floor but the subject matter of the effects of binge drinking
combined with the vocals are just too much for one song. There's
nothing oppressive about 'Heartbreak Inferno', probably the best
song on the album. It's fast, loud, menacing and it comes charging
at you at 100 miles an hour. And if 'The Devil's Eyes' was great
punk rock, this is even better as it spins and thrashes around.
If only there were more songs like this. It's quite fitting, then,
that the album ends on a rollicking note. Indeed, the title track
is definitely up there with 'Heartbreak Inferno' when it comes
to great tunes. It might not throw itself around quite so much
but it's got some cool riffs and a furious beat. All in all, 'Driven
by Loss' is great. It's flawed, but there are enough wicked tunes
to make up for. It comes highly recommended - after all, we all
need a bit of punk rock in our lives.
No
Front Teeth
I'm
definitely down with punk bands using brass instruments as long
as they're not playing ska. The RIVER CITY REBELS do that, so
do the KINGS OF NUTHIN' and ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT and so do BUZZKILL.
The brass thickens the chords and intensifies and transforms the
sound into something pretty distinctive but indefinable at the
same time. It's like heavy jazz mixed with rock 'n' roll and big
band music backed by a hefty punk rock kick. The one thing that's
for sure is that the power created is indisputable. This is loud,
heavy and unruly and I'm surprised that loads more bands don't
attempt this style instead of Godforsaken ska. When I listen to
this sound it just seems so obvious to me that it works and it
makes me want to find saxophone and trumpet players for my band...
Hardcore
Times
Buzzkill
are the UK's (Leeds to be exact!) answer to Rocket from the Crypt.
Rocking punked up roll, great fast melodic singing, melodic, all
backed up by some nice brass. They've been knocking around for
a few years but "Driven By Loss" is their debut full
length "Once a Liar" sets the mood for the rest of the
CD, fast paced punk n roll with plenty of brass. If you like your
music, punk, rock n roll, brass, then check this lot out.
Indigo
Flow 4/5
With
their own brand of brassed-up, punky rock n roll, Buzzkill have
been wowing crowds around the UK and mainland Europe for the last
three years and now, finally, comes their debut full-length album,
Driven By Loss. For just over half an hour when you listen to
this CD you will treated to some high octane rock n roll that
doesn’t let up, even for a second. The band put their all
into every moment and you can really feel it.
Blacklisted
It's
been 2 years since last album ' Double Down', during which they
lost one bassist and found another- it all worked out quite well
really. Buzzkill remain tight as ever though, churning out 13
slabs of raw punk 'n' roll- the likes of which Electric Frankenstein,
among many, many, others have spent their lives crafting. Fortunately
for me, Buzzkill and any sucker reading this, it's all pulled
off with a convincing style and aplomb that doesn't always make
the migration to this side of the Atlantic. The brass-section
is a nice addition to the overall sound too, giving them a more
original spin rather than sounding like an after-thought.
Boundaries are not exactly torn down with this recording though
and it occasionally strays into territory already covered by the
likes of Link 80 and their cohorts. However, if Buzzkill keep
writing songs like the title-track, I'll be too busy rocking out
for such nit-picking.
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£8
€12
$16
£10