Anchors - Lost at the Bottom of the World Review
Formed in 2008 and hailing from Melbourne Australia, Anchors are leading the way for the influx of talented punk bands making their way to the forefront of the music scene. Following their debut release Bad JuJu back in 2010, this album is very likely to catapult this group into the limelight and deservedly so. Intro Death Rattleflows easily into Everything's Amazing And Nobody's Happy setting the tone for the album that's face paced, vocally incredible and grabs you by the balls!
Anchors easily mix punk with hardcore without breaking too much of a sweat on Break Classic and just scream influences like Taking Back Sunday. With intricate guitar work from Pat O'Shea and Chris Lyons literally spiralling around each other, drilling drums and Brett Horsley's callous yet harmonious growl, this album shows huge diversity.
I feel that Cold Snap represents the basic premise of the group as a whole. Beginning with powerful and fast vocals giving way to catchy guitar melodies finely balanced between the pure punk and pop-punk genres but without blurring the lines too much. Time flew by with High and Low but the song leaves a lasting uneasy feeling in the back of your head that "Nothing's ever gonna be alright"
I'm a real sucker for songs about hating someone (it takes me back to my angsty teenage years) so teaming a track with complete vehemence with thrashing guitars and roaring vocals is perfect for me. Ferocious tracks Grimes & Safety First, Then Teamwork makes Anchors contempt for humanity painfully blatant and to be fair who can't relate to hating someone so much their voice is like a drill at the back of your skull. Phrases like "I hate your dead fucking eyes and your gutless passive aggressive bullshit is weighing me down" and "I can't stand a thing about you" makes you feel like Brett Horsley really fucking hates you!
Closing track New Limit is a side step from the record's overall sound, almost ditching the hardcore vibe completely and opting for a catchier, melodic rock sound. With the perfectly paced music combined with the gravely vocals from Brett, this track proves how diverse Anchors sound really is.
There is absolutely no doubt that Lost at the Bottom of the World, released by Creator-Destructor records last October is bound for great things.