Dirty punk rock ska from Leeds quintet
Buzzkill are definitely a band that improve with repeated listening, just as long as you realise that they demand your full attention - 'Driven by Loss' is not easy listening, and would beat up lift music if it had a chance. They somehow manage to combine dirty rock 'n' roll, punk, and ska that starts off being brilliant before losing its shine a little bit. That too, and the fact that the more I listen, the more I realise that there's something of Blood Brothers running through it too. The whole thing would be better if only the band didn't try so hard to be American when they're from a town in Yorkshire and there was a touch more variation into their music.
To start from the beginning, 'Once a Liar' is as good an opening track as you're going to get. It rolls in tightly wound and highly sprung more full of tension than drunken fight, but once the trumpet and sax kick in it unwinds into a mighty Madness meets rock 'n' roll fiend. It's safe to say the trumpet and sax really make this album, saving it from a fate of being average. 'Broken Picture' is evidence of this, with a ska trumpet riff breaking up the thunderous, grinding guitars - it's amazing how a bit of trumpet can lift a track like that.
But after the ska-rock nuttiness, 'Nothing Left' sounds just like Metallica with added brass. Singer Matt's vocals share too many similarities with James Hetfield for comfort, and the heavy, rolling guitars don't make for a good tune. Having said that, the brass melodies quickly become predictable on 'In My Head' and 'City of Mice'. Despite that, it's undeniable that 'In My Head' is a bloody good tune - no doubt aided by its brevity at just under two minutes. 'City of Mice' would definitely have benefited from a pruning - if ever there was a song that fitted the description 'painfully dragged out', this is it.
It's fortunate for them, then, that 'Devil's Eyes' is a damn sight better. It's rocks up where 'Broken Picture' left off, delivering some of the 'brand new swagger' that the press release was promising. It's dirty, desperate and does everything a punk rock song should do. And so the madness rolls on, even if does get rather oppressive after a while.
It's hard not to like the irrepressible spirit of holding onto the floor but the subject matter of the effects of binge drinking combined with the vocals are just too much for one song.
There's nothing oppressive about 'Heartbreak Inferno', probably the best song on the album. It's fast, loud, menacing and it comes charging at you at 100 miles an hour. And if 'The Devil's Eyes' was great punk rock, this is even better as it spins and thrashes around. If only there were more songs like this. It's quite fitting, then, that the album ends on a rollicking note. Indeed, the title track is definitely up there with 'Heartbreak Inferno' when it comes to great tunes. It might not throw itself around quite so much but it's got some cool riffs and a furious beat.
All in all, 'Driven by Loss' is great. It's flawed, but there are enough wicked tunes to make up for. It comes highly recommended - after all, we all need a bit of punk rock in our lives.