Fat White Family - Songs For Our Mothers

Distasteful, Shocking But Just A Bit Boring Too

'Songs For Our Mothers' is the second album by South London's ever controversial, Fat White Family, a band who have made a name for themselves by whipping their cocks out onstage, calling Lee Oswald (Martin Luther King Jr's assassin)  a "Good Man" in one of their songs and, more recently, threatening to join ISIS if Mac DeMarco kept making music. Shenanigans aside, the Fat Whites make some great music too. Their previous album 'Champagne Holocaust' is a record that creates a magnificent yet satirical sound that keeps you hooked for its duration, all the while touching on subject that are, needless to say, shocking, 'Cream Of The Young' in particular, is about oral sex via a 15 year old girl (need I say more).

'Songs For Our Mothers' sees the group drop the satire a little, and swap the blatant controversy for distasteful remarks of the political and fascist kind. Final track on the album 'Goodbye Goebbels' glamorizes the suicide of Hitler and has lyrics that show the sense of achievement for the holocaust from a Nazi standpoint. 'Satisfied', a very dark, 80's style, synth track is about receiving oral sex from Holocaust survivor Primo Levi.

Nazi controversy aside, the album does have its great moments. Lead single "Whitest Boy On The Beach" is a homage to German Techno featuring the finest vocals on the album from Lias Sauodi. The dirty, Marylin Manson-esqe vibes on 'Satisfied' offer a satisfying chill and 'Hits Hits Hits' is a track with haunting lyrics accompanied by Sleaford Mods-like instrumentals. 

The one problem with this is album is the lack of songs with musical depth. What made 'Champagne Holocaust' so amazing was the Fat Whites' ability to create a diverse range of sounds, but there isn't much difference between tracks in this latest record, there's nothing that resembles 'Auto Neutron' or 'Is It Raining In Your Mouth?'. This ultimately does make the album drag on near the end and seem rather boring.  

The Fat White Family have managed to remain their distasteful self and show their true colors on this album, but can still sound pretty good while doing so. 

6/10

INDIE ROCK / ALTERNATIVE

FAV TRACKS: Whitest Boy On The Beach - Satisfied - Hits Hits Hits
LEAST FAV TRACKS: Tinfoil Deathstar - We Must Learn To Rise - Duce

Panic! At The Disco - Death Of A Bachelor

Urie Takes Full Advantage Of Being Sole Member

Panic! At The Disco have been going strong since 2005, and since then have underwent numerous line-up changes as well as changes in genre and musical influences.

The last time we were presented with a new Panic! record was back in 2013 with 'Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die', a heavily electropop influenced record that came tied together with dark, self-destructive lyrics that juxtaposed the mostly positive sounding synths and instrumentals.

The first track on 'Death Of A Bachelor' had me worried, 'Victorious' is a track that all the features of P!ATD's previous record; the female-lead chanted lyrics, synth-lead instrumentals that sugarcoat the under-laying guitars and the underwhelming chorus. The following track 'Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time' doesn't offer anything exciting either (unless you're a 60's rock fan in which case the looped, recycled sample of 'Rock Lobster' will keep you entertained).

The record however, does have it's highlights, 'Crazy=Genius' is without a doubt the strongest track on the album, with a homage to 2005's 'A Fever You Can Sweat Out's swing and jazz-punk sound. With infectious instrumentals and a chorus that is impossible to not sing along to. This track is an example of vocal and instrumental success in Urie's solo skills. Lead single 'Hallelujah' is a gospel-style, toned down tribute to partying and the self destructive lifestyle and title track 'Death Of A Bachelor' sees Brendon channel his inner Sinatra and really show off his extensive and impressive vocal range.

This is Panic!'s best record as a solo project. A total improvement on their previous effort. At only 28, Urie still has a lot to offer us and he's only getting better.

7/10

POP ROCK / BAROQUE POP / ALT ROCK

FAV RACKS: Crazy=Genius - Hallelujah - Death Of A Bachelor
LEAST FAV TRACKS: Victorious - Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time 

Diabolus - Wasted Air [EP]

Brutal 2-Track Debut From Hampshire Metallers

Diabolus are an up and coming extreme metal act from Hampshire comprising of 6 members. Their debut EP 'Wasted Air' may be short lived, but it packs a pretty brutal punch.

Diabolus' sound combines the best of the more extreme metal genres, the most noticeable being black/death and slamming death metal. This is made extremely clear as soon as you're hit by first track 'Wasted Air', a track that I enjoyed especially due to the range of guitar skills made evident, first you're greeted by the rapid drums and trem picking, this combined with Luke Robbins' throat shredding highs creates a ridiculously evil sound. This track packs a punch until the very end, and is rounded off by some eerie synths.

'The Bay Harbour Butcher' almost seems to pick off where the previous track was, with a chilling guitar intro, reflective of the concluding synths prior, before the rest of the instrumentals build towards a hard hitting 3+ minutes of brutality. 

If our first taste of Diabolus is anything to go by, then we should all start remembering the name. Big things to come from these lads!

8/10

BLACKSLAM / BLACKENED DEATH METAL / BRUTAL DEATH METAL

FAV TRACKS: Wasted Air
LEAST FAV TRACKS: