Swedish Satanic Surfers is one of those punk rock bands that came to popularity during the nineties with the rise of the more melodic kind of skate punk. After their breakup in 2007, they came back to the surface in 2014 to play a show and apparently found back their love for the game. So now they’re here with their 1st album in over 10 years and they’re “Back From Hell”!
The Usurper and Catch My Breath they show that they haven’t lost any of their energy! You get hit with classic punk rock that feels honest and straight in your face with no frills but loads of thrills. It’s catchy, there’s a frustrated and slightly angry undertone and it takes me back immediately to the good old days of playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater on my old pc. But don’t think it sounds out of place in this time, it’s as fitting as ever. The recognizable voice, bouncy bass, hyperactive drums and shredding guitar solos all combined in one hell of a blast.
There are a few moments that they slow down a little bit like in Self-Medication, but driving up the catchiness along the way. Or then the track starts slow and rather sad like in All Gone To Shit, to soon pull you back by your hair on one hell of a rollercoaster ride of a song… Ain’t No Ripper, Madhouse, Going Nowhere Fast and Paying Tribute all bring more of the same: fast and catchy punk rock with great hooks and musical writing.
Stick out track still on this album is definitely Pato Loco where the only vocals on mostly a blistering instrumental song sound just like a bunch of New Zealanders performing some kind of a Haka. Closer and title track Back From Hell is a perfect way to close this comeback album and basically the theme song of today’s incarnation of the band singing “It sure feels good to be back home… back from hell!”
If you’re nostalgic to those good old times of melodic skate punk/punk rock of the nineties, this is a must buy album! Satanic Surfers crawled Back From Hell and it’s like they’ve never been gone. Catchy, fast, angry and damn great fun, can’t wait to see more of these guys!
Release date: April 13th, 2018
Label: Mondo Macabre Records
(under Blood Harvest Records)
Tracklist:
1. The Usurper
2. Catch My Breath
3. Self-Medication
4. All Gone To Shit
5. Ain’t No Ripper
6. Madhouse
7. Going Nowhere Fast
8. Paying Tribute
9. Pato Loco
10. Back From Hell
