Skull Time

Long ago when punk was still wet behind the ears, arguments raged over the genre's antecedents, a rather moot point as in their infancy few of the first generation bands were capable of imitating whatever heroes they might actually have had. Or so their detractors insisted, but maybe they just didn't want to, or couldn't be bothered, or refused to out of spite. But if the likes of the Sex Pistols or the Damned had decided to prove them all wrong and launched into hard rock, one expects they'd sound an awful lot like Skull Time. To be precise, more proficient than one would ever have given them credit for, but nowhere near as virtuoso as they'd like to believe they were.

Skull Time boast that arrogant stance that so defined punk, the same rousing attack on their music, and the same mistaken belief that if you play loud enough people won't care that you're not as musically talented as the dinosaurs you wish to replace. Of course back then, claiming to have only picked up your instrument a few weeks before climbing on-stage was a badge of honor, your lack of any apparent talent a major selling point, and the harder and louder you flailed the more fans you garnered. That was then, this is now, and Skull Time are unlikely to appeal to classic rocker fans who will inevitably compare them unfavorably with the real deal. However, they're good enough, loud enough, brash enough, and energetic enough to perhaps cross happily into the hardcore scene whose appreciation of enthusiasm trumps all. And Skull Time are definitely exuberant, with songs like the driving "Birthquake," the shout-along "Song #1," and the punky "Rest Easy" guaranteed to have the headbangers stomping along. Perfect for frat parties, beer sodden barbecues, and air-guitaring in your underwear (guys only, please), this is kick-butt music for the none to overly discerning.