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If the EP and its stand-out track "So Cold" hit like an adrenalin shot into a dying man's heart, the full-length self-titled album by this Perth quartet doesn't fall short of that same mark. A baker's dozen (one untitled cut is well hidden) of hard-bitten songs are here for your appreciation and it's a world class album, if a couple of tunes do persist too long.
Putting aside punk, Australian bands mining the hard rock vein inevitably fall into four categories: Over-the-top Zeppelin-esque parody; re-treaded heavy metal; chugging Acca-Dacca boogie that more often than not poses no threat or lacks character; and a more mutant strain of Dol.ls/Sto.nes/Sto.og.es blasting powder that goes by the misnomer Detroit. More a flag-of-convenience than a definitive tag, almost none of the bands labeled "Detroit" actually came from there. Plus, hardly anyone from Michigan has heard of them, much less believe you if you tell them about a parallel universe like Australia, far below the Equator.
Perth's as far removed from the Motor City as anywhere else in the world so you may as well tar The Volca.nics with the same brush. The ingr.edients (extreme energy, loud guitars and confronting vocals) are here in abundance. A nice dose of jaw-jutting attitude - mainly via vocalist John Phato.uros who's been listening to all the right singers - emphatically stakes out the band's turf.
There's a big dash of the Expl.oding Wh.ite Mice in "Sweet Little Mama", a swirling maelstrom of sound that at 6min23s is the longest work-out here. It's the sort of tune that used to show the Mice were more than Ram.ones copyists. As far as The Volca.nics are concerned, it throws Mick Whi.tby's fine guitarwork into stark relief. Plenty of other gold to be prised out of Lind.say Gra.vina's tough mix like "Let Go", the menacing "Foldline" and the swaggering "Save Me Compression".
"Cut A Slice To See You Walkin' " and the Hit.men-like "Don't Know What You Don't Know" are relative oases of calm among the sonic sandstorms and pace the album nicely. As alluded to earlier, a few songs do outlast their welcome and if there's a weakness it's the band's tendency to overplay its hand. A little judicious editing might have made this a classic rather than almost great album. But The Volca.nics are young and have time to burn. It's a pity line-up changes (bassist Ja.son Cleary has walked but drummer Waren Hall is apparently back in after also walking) appeared to throw The Volca.nics into mild disarray as they were considering an East Coast tour but they're still setting a benchmark that too many young bands could do well to shoot for.
From i94Bar