Violent Reaction, Marching On
I don’t listen to all the much punk any more. Perhaps my brain is too obsessed with the resurgence of Entombed-worship and buzzing HM2 tuning found in a bunch of bands these days. That said, UK’s Violent Reaction is about as good an excuse as I need to get back into the genre.
With a healthy smattering of Minor Threat (see my favorite track “Leave Me Out”) and the likes of Poison Idea, this four-piece both wear classic punk on their sleeves and deliver a modern ferocity not heard from many bands recently. Once you get past the, for lack of a better word, stomping intro “M1 Stomp” you’re greeted by aggressive vocals and rabid, sometimes (appropriately) messy drum work.
Before you know it, you’ve flow through the violent “Leave Me Out,” the bludgeoning yet melodic “No Price,” the back alley beat down of “Death Threat” and frantic “War” before things even leave a hint of slowing a bit. “Crust Fund” only starts off a bit slowly with classic punk reffing before settling into a decent groove. All hell breaks loose with “Impact,” as the group assaults you quickly before attacking you from every direction simultaneously with “Direct Action.”
There’s a smattering of power violence in Marching On that infects the old-school punk vibe presented in its rabidly brief 20 minute run time. Violent Reaction have produced a fucking blast of manic, aggressive punk that I could (and have) listened to repeatedly since recieving the promo. This ain’t no pop-punk here, so be prepared to have your ass handed to you on a rusty metal plate.