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The Suicide Kings

Menticide

Written by: PP on 09/06/2011 22:11:38

The Suicide Kings are a fairly conventional street punk/hardcore band from Hessen, Germany. They stick to what works in the genre and purposefully avoid innovation and needless originality to achieve a full and genuine experience within the genre, definitely a case of "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" ideology. In the past, they have released a couple of albums, and "Menticide" is their third one. I can't say I'm familiar with their previous albums, but I wouldn't be surprised if the new record isn't the best they can offer, given the collection of juicy street anthems it contains.

Raw and gritty, foot stomp inducing and gang shout friendly, the sound on "Menticide" draws a ton of parallels to the genre flagship Discipline. There's no bullshit present, just straight-forward and melodic street punk with a good sense for shout-a-longs and fist-pumping rhythms, resembling bands like The Last Resort, Cock Sparrer, and pretty much every other street punk band to have existed since the genre was coined. Sometimes that calls for a circle pit, sometimes for a chant-a-long chorus, but nearly always you get the feeling that this stuff will be killer live. The gang shouts provide the necessary toughness for street credibility, even when poppy melody overtakes in a chorus, though never to the extend that you'd mistake this for anything else than hardcore-rooted punk rock.

And so even though original content is practically an alien planet to The Suicide Kings, "Menticide" still comes across as a solid album in the genre, thanks to songs like "Life Of Nancy", "Not With Us" and "Carry My Guilt", which have power choruses catchy enough to make it difficult for anyone to argue against this stuff being enjoyable. Highly recommended if you like your punk with some grit and street attitude, and Discipline is among your favorite bands.

Download: Carry My Guilt, Not With Us, Life Of Nancy
For the fans of: Discipline, The Last Resort, Cock Sparrer
Listen: Myspace

Release date 15.04.2011
KB / Cargo Records