Sledgeback – Bite the Bullet

Seattle’s Sledgeback reminds me of Calgary’s Knucklehead. Yes, there’s other similarities – Rancid and Social Distortion being the two main ones – but Knucklehead takes the cake. I enjoyedKnucklehead’s Hearts on Fire after I first heard it last year; but over the next few months it really sunk in and became one of my favourite albums of the year. Sledgeback’s Bite The Bullet appears to have that same quality. It’s an album that strikes you from the first listen but has that little itch within it that will make it steadily re-appear in my CD player and slowly become a favourite.

Formed in 2004 by Hungary’s Gabi Hun before he even learned a word of English, Sledgeback features that subdued punk rock quality reminiscent of other bands from overseas (Leatherface, I’m looking at you…) but with just enough of that North American, SoCal vibe to punch it up a notch as well. Hun’s vocals are coarse and accented, bringing in a mixture of Lars Frederiksen, Mike Ness and Frankie Stubbs.  They’re generally more reserved and delivered at a steady pace; yet catchy enough to get you singing along the second time through. The rough and worn vocals help embed the somewhat melancholy and alcoholic drenched sensation that the album uses to stay interesting. Instead of happy go lucky anthems, Bite The Bullet is full of the alcoholic anthems of drinking, partying, sex, death and lost regrets. Need proof? Just take one listen to the solemn closer Don’t Look Down On Me that begins with the sorrowful line of “Sometime I feel like I have no friends” – a more depressing line there may not be.

Of course, there’s not only depressing content – some are just straight up drinking songs. Palinka is a fast paced sing-along about a Hungarian alcohol that will get you laid and features rousing lines such as “Palinka! Palinka! I don’t give a fuck! I am so drunk again I can’t even walk.” Then there’s Beer, who’s chant of “1-2-3, Bring me A Beer! 4-5-6 I need my fix. I don’t wanna talk, but I wanna get drunk!” needs no explanation.

Musically, there’s nothing eye opening or boundary pushing; but Sledgeback doesn’t need anything like that to succeed. It’s stripped-down punk rock, unpretentious and filled to the rim with enough hooks to pull you in before you even know what’s got you. There’s an Eastern European punk feel – like Gogol Bordello – merged with the North American street punk. So yes, the music can be simple but it’s effective. It’s low-fi, mid tempo punk rock with a raspy vocalist that steadily grows on the listener. It won’t blow you away, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised and continually entertained by it – and that’s all anyone really needs.