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Accelerators

Fuel For The Fire

Written by: PP on 08/10/2012 18:07:56

Accelerators are a small melodic punk band from Rotterdam, Holland, yet they have a noticeably Midwestern tint to their sound that'll draw the Minneapolis bands like Banner Pilot, Off With Their Heads, Dillinger Four and others into mind. If you're wondering what on earth a Dutch band does sounding like something coming out of Midwestern America, there are two very simple answers: internet (for influence), and Jacques Waits, who mixed their sophomore album "Fuel For The Fire" after having also worked with some of the aforementioned bands on their seminal records.

Out of that bunch, Accelerators sound most like Dillinger Four on "CIVIL WAR", so in essence smooth, polished sing along punk rock which toys with pop punk but stays solidly within the melodic punk genre instead. Their expression is quite catchy, but never flashy or over-the-top, and as such carries more of a chill-out punk rock vibe, a fact also reinforced by their consistent mid-tempo delivery. "Fuel For The Fire", "The Ballad Of John Sancho B" (co-written by Sancho Büna) are both great examples where the band will have you singing along in no time, yet they have a difficult time establishing the kind of longevity that keeps you returning to the albums by the aforementioned bands. In other words, while Accelerators play solid punk rock with catchy no-frills oriented guitar melodies, it lacks some of the edge and character that lifted a record like "CIVIL WAR" into one of the best albums in the genre instead of just a reasonably good one like this one. That said, for a European band, "Fuel For The Fire" is further evidence that the old continent can do it as well when it comes down to writing quality punk rock.

Download: Fuel For The Fire, The Ballad Of John Sancho B
For the fans of: Banner Pilot, Dillinger Four, Off With Their Heads, The Flatliners
Listen: Facebook

Release date 01.09.2012
Shield Recordings