V/A - We Come From A Band Down Under
Contra Records / Stun Grenade Records
The last, all-Australian, compilation I ever received for review was probably the “Were The Blood...” CD on Snapshot Records. Only God - may he exist - knows how many moons that was ago, but somewhere between 10, 15 or even 20 years is quite possible! So indeed, it’s about damn time we received another, proper update of what’s going on in the land Down Under - something the newly founded, Australian label, Stun Grenade Records and European veterans Contra Records are providing with the first volume of “We Come From A Band Down Under”!
On this slick looking release, you’ll find a grand total of 14 bands (and songs) from all over Australia. Including some familiar faces, such as Plan Of Attack, Razorcut and Rust, “We Come From A Band Down Under” its main focus - intentionally or not - seems to be on newer bands who only recently put one or two records out, or all new bands who are debuting right here, right now on this very compilation LP! An excellent choice if you ask me.
Especially when you put down the needle to side-A of this LP and you hear debutant outfit Black Rats for the first time! Now I like my Australian Oi! vile, gruff and boisterous, and these guys instantly deliver! Immediately setting the tone for the rest of the LP, other debuting bands include Stoush and Rogues and I must admit - the trio rips it up with three, well executed, barbaric anthems that definitely taste like more! Hopefully more on these lads sooner than later...
Aside of the debuting bands, “We Came From A Band Down Under” also contains a nice cut of newer bands such as The Clinch, Nö Class, Bloody Minded, Those Rat Bastards and The Opposition - though only the tracks of the latter two, respectively “Tommy Blitz” and “Anxions State”, were never released on vinyl before, all of them kill it nonetheless! With that being said, I wouldn’t have mind an exclusive contribution by The Clinch, Nö Class and Bloody Minded as well - you’ll understand why when you have heard their previous releases, or if you get introduced to them through this record.
Last, though certainly not least, are the aforementioned veterans on this compilation. Unfortunately Rust doesn’t bring anything new to the table with the title-track of their latest album “A Decade Of Corrosion” - though I believe that album hasn’t been released on vinyl just yet - but both Plan Of Attack (“Hated Yet Rated”) and RazorCut (“Hope In Our Eyes”) do and do it with style! Showing a few years of radio-silence has no negative effect at all, the two bands easily pick it up where they left off a few years ago - releasing killer tunes that is!
Along with The Knock Backs, Up The Anti, The Grogans, great artwork and ditto lay-out, “We Come From A Band Down Under” is an excellent kick-off of what hopefully become a series with more volumes to come! Only the addition of an insert with info on the (relatively new) bands, perhaps a few lyrics and some more photo’s would have been nice, but nonetheless a superb compilation with some of the best the Down Under has to offer!
