The Great Thieves Escape II – Four Way Split

 The Great Thieves Escape II is a multinational four way split single brought to you by Flix Records and No Panic! Records. It is comprised of four bands from the USA, Germany and the UK. I always view split EP’s as healthy competition between the bands involved, so let’s introduce the contenders.

First up is America’s Walk The Plank, they are a hardcore heavyweight who open with the excellent Dying On The Vine. It starts with an old school punk riff that suddenly breaks into brutal hardcore for the chorus, this is short, sharp and ferocious and is an impressive opening, and an early favourite. Germany’s No Fun are next on the bill and in a surprise move they bring us Cheesecake. This is a much poppier affair with a killer guitar riff and a great female lead vocal, this is a song that should have anyone with a pulse bouncing around the room. We’re back across the Atlantic again for New York’s Such Gold, who deliver a solid burst of melodic hardcore with the excellent Choosing Cages. Finally we come to last entrant in this four way fracas, the UK’s Harker deliver some hard edged melodic punk rock that will delight fans of the Alkaline Trio.

We’ve had two American heavyweights, a feisty Brit but in the end it is Germany’s No Fun who take this competition with a sucker punch, the judge denies that he was swayed by the promise of all the Cheesecake. As I’ve noted previously when reviewing split singles, they can be hit and miss affairs, that is certainly not the case on The Great Thieves Escape II. All four bands are excellent, but you’ll always end up with a favourite and who doesn’t love Cheesecake? 

The Great Thieves Escape II is available on a rainbow of limited edition coloured vinyl here.