DEATH ALLEY

Superbia

CENTURY MEDIA

Dutch punk crew smooth off a few too many rough edges

Named after a Zeke album, this Amsterdam quartet are still keenly flagging up their punk credentials on their second album, even though they continue polishing off rough edges and moderating tempos. Singer Douwe Truijens favours clean American-accented harmonies over the gruff miniLemmy-isms of 2015’s Black Magic Boogieland, and the rock’n’roll fervour is mollified somewhat by the undistorted guitar tones, relaxed delivery, increasingly smooth melodies and proggier structures. Headlights In The Dark comes closest to splicing strains of proto-metal and proto-punk, but the effect is more Clutch jamming Pink Fairies tunes with 90s Anthrax, while 11-minute closer The Sewage propels the record into space with jazzy chops and Pink Floydish harmony chants, but ends up going nowhere. The overall result is more distinctive and multi-faceted than the standard cooler-than-thou retro showcase, but some might find it all a bit too calculated and well-scrubbed.

FOR FANS OF: HAWKWIND, CLUTCH, ZZ TOP

CHRIS CHANTLER