So what do we have here? While for those whom who are unawares 2 of the Hippos are from The Absolved, another great Thumper punk treasure. Namely these two individuals are Byron Brumit and Bob Magana. Who let these Hippos out on society? Did they not know the inter galactic “hippobrodom” (….) that would unfold. This merry band of misfits know how to have fun and their songs are signatures of that. From hanging out with fake dinosaurs to being avid Star Wars junkies, and with a name like Hippos of Doom, would one expect anything else than an album of fun adventures. One would expect to find these guys hanging out at ComiCon or something in HIPPO suites, with a comic book stand displaying copies of say a series of comics on the adventures of the Hippos of Doom – the galactic interstellar exploits as they battle the forces of darkness, whilst in-between missions, playing playstation or Xbox.
“Road Trip” is the Hippos of Doom’s debut EP, and in my opinion serves as a platform for their debut full release coming out soon. So lets get down to the hooves of the release. The album starts off with the fun loving, “Old School Rocking Crew” , reminding me of some of those classic 90‘s Christian pop punk bands like Value Pac and Ghoti Hook, great guitar playing by Bob and Waldo, pulling off catchy riffs like seasoned Jedi’s with their weapons of choice. Love the bubbly bass lines by Old Hippo and the overall strong drumming antics by Jak. Its a great introductory song, and sets the pace of this road tripping extravaganza nicely. “ Wool Brigade” follows that same format, its fast pop punk reminiscent of something you would find off Fat Wreck Records, and one gets that what they were going here for, unashamed of the blatant influences and it works well for them, without sounding like an allout copy of them, they have their own unique flavor within that familiarity. NOFX and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, are two other bands that come to mind whilst listening to this. Now that’s not bad at all when ones is able to compare another band with anything that comes off Fat Wreck Chords or the like, and sounding like NOFX / Gimme Gimmes, well good for them. The Hippos cover song “Holiday road” from the movie Vacation, is one of my favorite songs off this album, love it, its a real sing-a-long why don’t you track, ideal for singing in the shower too. Love the chorus, love the harmonies, and overall its just plain fun. “Judge Not” comes in with a nice intro, and again this is pop punk infused with a bouncy gallop of Hippo brew. Byron’s bass playing is really great and adds salt to the meat. I can see young teenies loving this song, it has such a teenage high-school anthem feel to it. “ The Royal Philharmonic goes to the bathroom” – lol, must be one of the weirdest or more weirder titles I have seen in my lifetime, and I have seen much weird in my life. This song breaches hardcore here, and reminds me a lot of Absolved in some ways, just the vocals keep it in the more pop punk Fat Wreck Chords vibe. Full of energy, great song to play pac-man too, or bumper cars in the late afternoon traffic on your way home.
In conclusion this is a fun album, and see it as that! The crazy name might put off some, but give it a chance. This is good stuff, ideal for playing loud, and causing a neighborhood disturbance with; and hey its for free! You can download it from Indie Vision Music which is an awesome website by the way. Here is the link: https://www.indievisionmusic.com/2013/04/23/hippos-of-doom-road-trip-ep/. So why would we find reason to complain about it anyway. Free is good right?…this is solid punk rock that is able to cut like a light sabre through the darkness of ones day. Luke Skywalker watch out, the HIPPOS have the force with them. So grab your free download today and become part of the Hippobrodum ( kudos for Sean Burke for coining that) that is the HIPPOS OF DOOM!
Rating: 7.8/10
Tracks:
1) Old School Rocking Crew
2) Wool Brigade
3) Holiday Road
4) Judge Not
5) The Royal Philharmonic Goes To The Bathroom
Band members:
Bob – vocals Guitar
Waldo – Vocals, left handed Guitar
Jak – vocals left handed drums
Byron – Vocals, Bass
Record Label: Thumper Punk Records / Veritas Vinyl, April 2013