Sympos – Onerous As Nails Punts (Distro-Y Information)

7″/DL

Out Now

4 extra tunes from Waterford’s Sympos are a welcome contribution to the New Wave Of Irish Oi! They play as much as all of the skinhead stereotypes however clearly are an clever bunch with a way of humour says Nathan Brown.

As with their final EP, the 4 songs on this slab of vinyl current 2 sides to the band. The opening observe is extra tuneful, maybe even rocky, whereas the remaining three fulfill these searching for extra conventional Oi! fare.  Though clearly from the Punk and Oi! scene in Eire, describing Sympos as an Oi! band could also be doing them a dis-service as there are nonetheless individuals who will dismiss something with that tag. Their loss! There’s nothing unsuitable with first rate Oi! bands. The French and Irish scenes have each been churning out good high quality shit of late. Whereas throughout the secure, the Sympos sound throws selection on the theme.

Kicking off facet A, Pigeon Punt deviates from the usual Oi! template and is led by a rhythmic rocking, head nodding, uneven guitar sound that’s straight out of the Ramones tune ebook. I imply who hasn’t been influenced by them? Much less Oi and extra guitar, and I hear first wave 1977 punk within the vocal supply. At its coronary heart, it’s only a straight up punk tune, telling the story of a protagonist who develops a Demise Want model hatred for pigeons after one eyes up his hangover remedy.  I’m submitting this beneath humour not animal abuser, as it’s clearly tongue in cheek, and within the video the pigeon wins the day. The duelling guitar solos wail away in a punk rock’n’roll model that evokes the perfect of the primary wave punk bands. They rein it in earlier than it will get too flashy. If you happen to didn’t know higher you wouldn’t have Sympos pegged as an Oi! band though the remainder of the EP lays any doubts to relaxation. I’ve to say that on first pay attention Pigeon Punt wasn’t doing it for me, however the extra I listened to it the extra the hook received in my head and it’s repetitive riff is as infectious as a pile of guano.

Combat Combat Combat has extra abrasive shout and a heavy guitar. Now I wouldn’t wish to besmirch the fame of peaceable flower sniffing skins however a roaring vocal screaming “Combat Combat Combat” performs as much as the violent hooligan stereotype. It’s principally an inventory of all of the individuals they hate and wanna struggle, beginning with Nazis, drunks and ineffective c***s and just about ending up in an delinquent hatred of the world generally. The heavy, damped refrain could have the Rejects in its DNA however jogs my memory extra of bands like Defiance, an American outfit who efficiently mixed an anarcho-punk and road punk sound method again within the 90s. This tune makes use of a basic Oi! trick borrowed from dub when the guitar drops down to permit the bass and drums to create area and construct up the vitality earlier than the guitars sit back in at full pelt with some chiming chords and a lead break. As with the final Sympos EP I hear some similarities to Bishops Inexperienced on this tune, apart from the Irish brogue. Good rabble rousing stuff.

Eponymous tune Sympos begins off facet B with palm muted guitar and stompy tom pushed drums – some basic Oingredients – so that you already get the texture for the place it’s headed earlier than the screams of “Oi! Oi!” within the refrain hit you. They sound just like the bastard offspring of The Oppressed and The Jollars.  Sympos set out their very own legend, “A gang of fucking thugs which are able to die”, however I get the sensation this bravado from “A gang of nicely dressed skins with their heads held excessive” is mythological reasonably than a critical menace. The phrases appear too tongue in cheek. I might be unsuitable – I’ve by no means met them – however what is for certain is that this bunch of droogs have a way of humour as heavy as their boots.

SUI is all about Skateboarding Below the Affect, a pastime of my teenagers and 20s. Now there’s an excessive sport! This one begins off on the tempo of 4 Skins’ One Legislation For Them and has jagged shouty stops to intensify the phrases of the refrain.  Nonetheless, after a spirited couple of rounds of verses and choruses on the velocity you’d take an enormous hill, the tune slows proper down because it hits the flat, with the bass main the fray. Vocals re-appear the earlier than the guitar and drums drop again in, slowly upping the depth of this heavy finish part however resisting the temptation to up the tempo.  This can be a related sample to a tune on their final EP so clearly a part of the Sympos Sound.

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Phrases by Nathan Brown. You’ll be able to learn extra from Nathan on his Louder Than Struggle archive over right here.