Massaker — One Soul, One Lapdance

Steven Humphrey says his life changed the day he came across a black and white poster of The Ramones in the room of one of his classmates. The New York group were posing in front of a brick wall, and Joey Ramone, who stood a good a head taller than his three acolytes, was hiding behind a curtain of hair and was visibly self-conscious, exactly how Steven felt at the time. Today, even if the Massaker singer not only has a significantly larger girth on top of looking more like Rob Tyner than Joey, the "revelation" that occurred whilst beholding this black and white still continues to permeate the music of this Croydon, London-based band. First, through a full-frontal punk approach, particularly with "Punch Me In the Face", a furious, four-chord powerhouse of a track vigorously performed, a kind of a re-mastered version of "Teenage Lobotomy". Then through their use of lyrics glorifying outcasts and misfits, as in "Is She Right ?", where a female protagonist verbally abuses some loser ex-boyfriend ("You moron/Shit brainless/Stinky hole" – an endless outburst of insults) – proof that Steven Humphrey may have created his music vicariously through the eyes of Joey Ramone, but in doing so does not forget where he came from. Amidst these bulldozer-like punk anthems lie a few calmer, quieter tracks ("Fords & Oldsmobiles", "Pole Dance Your Heart", "The Trash Kid In You") that reveal a true melodic talent, forsaking irony in favour of an unexpected sincerity. In the second from last track, Massaker flirts with progressive rock, borrowing Neil Peart’s tubular bells in the final bombastic moments. Steven Humphrey and his clique then return to their customary energy and wind up the album with, "Cement Lullabies", a track they often use to close their shows.