You took notice of Scandi Rock in the ‘90s or you stayed blissfully living under a rock listening to The Smashing Pumpkins. Grunge had dissipated and the corporates were looking for a new genre to plunder. No matter what you call it, high-energy rock is hard to kill. It’s only a matter of how fast it’s played and how many chords it hangs off.
The package for Hell Nation Army says “kick ass punk and roll” and does not lie. They play high-energy rock from Berlin in the vein of Gluecifier, Heliacopters and Turbonegro. In other words, Scandi Rock that’s been landlocked.
“Anthems For The Misanthropic” is a six-track EP that doesn’t contain many surprises but it does do what it’s supposed to, very well. Hell Nation Army brags about playing some choice supports (Sonny Vincent, Posion Idea, Turbo Acs) and you can hear why.
Guitarists Beef and Simmi Sixx have that loose-tight, hard-riffing thing down pat, and Chris The Bliss is an ace vocalist with grit and power. The secret weapon is drummer Ivil, a recruit from thrash band Secretum whose powerhouse feels give the songs astonishing momentum.
There’s no mistaking the smell of death-punk in “Blackout” and the uncompromising “I Wanna Be Dead”. Closing song “Demon Girl” is a frenzied ball of energy with guitars that are thicker than a beer hall waitress’s arms after years of carrying all those steins. "Feed The Machine" is top-shelf, too, with tightly-wound guitars and barelling rhythm.
One Nation Army has been around for eight years and this is just their third EP. The only thing left to say is: "Where's the album"?
