Labels: Mythical Records – Unsane Asylum
Review by: Samuel Fowler
2011 seems to be the year all the ancient melodic punk bands that last
played a gig in 2003 have all decided to awaken from their
hibernation. Out of Spite has risen again (featuring amongst others,
such luminaries as Pylon and Imbalance?!?) so it seems fitting that
Shatterhand are back with us. It is almost like all the bands that I
used to listen to when I was getting into punk/hardcore are trying to
recreate my latter youth. ‘s fine with me, that.
Not wanting to start with a negative, but when the tray snapped in I
clocked that there were 22 tracks. Its a rare album with more than 12
tracks that can keep the power going all the way through. Given, it is
a compilation, but the lack of information in my booklet doesnt let me
split it up and work out which songs belong on which album or era,
meaning I can’t split my listening up and take each segment at face
value.
Again, and as with everything in this vein, Shatterhand are pretty
binary, and its quite hard to place them them. Not helping is the
fact that the mid/late 90’s gritty skate/melodic punk has been
necromanced a hell of a lot lately, with varying (wild) degrees of
success. Shatterhand are the absolute epitome of the band that very
emphatically either hit or miss. There are some really great songs
here that manage to distinctly reference days gone by, but then again
there are others that don’t click at all. That ska take on goldfinger
for example is dreadful. Sorry!
Dunno. I have absolutely no doubt that Shatterhand kill it live, but
for me, 22 tracks spread over 72 minutes is quite an ask for one
sitting. Oh, and I’m just on track 19, and feel (again) like eating
all my words and instead rabidly enthusing. Crikey.