Raw street punk ep…eight songs…clocks in under 10 minutes and influences including the likes of the Exploited, Subhumans, Circle Jerks, Motley Crue, and Slayer. Seems about right.
Infirmities hail from Salinas, California, a little bit inland from the ocean but close to famed locales like Santa Cruz and Monterey and just a bit south of San Jose and San Francisco, so given all that geography, one can see where their influences lie in the punk rock universe. Bands like Swingin’ Utters and Dead Kennedys are obvious and then some of the legendary punk bands, but also some crossover bands like DRI, Suicidal Tendencies, and some outright thrash like Overkill and Slayer. In keeping with that thought, the band aims for the one minute song and being able to 26 songs in a 28 minute set. Given the influences above and that this is punk rock, seems very plausible. Looking at their facebook page, vocalist J Hawk claims to have 25 years of punk rock experience, some of which were I the Kings Kids, and on appearance alone, this is an old-school punk band down to J Hawk’s spiked mowhawk. When not writing and recording epically long albums and ep’s, the unabashedly Christian Infirmities manage to find time for a good number of shows and have shared the stage with the likes of Total Chaos, UK Subs, Agent Orange, and HR from Bad Brains.
The ep opens up with some staccato drum beat intro before J Hawk launches into the opening verse of “World of Sin”. The alternating fast –slow progression with sing-along parts and the general glorious sloppiness works. “Renegade” breaks the trend of the first two songs with its opening guitar riff and fast, somewhat melodic, driving tempo throughout the song. “Shadow of the Cross” continues with this more melodic, almost cleaner arrangement and performance. “Saved” is likely one of the songs some listeners have heard before as it has been on at least one punk rock compilation in the past and oddly enough, seems to be the same version used here as the recording doesn’t seem to match the rest of the tracks on the ep, but then again, this is punk rock.
What Infirmities have given us is a sub-10 minute blast of fast, sloppy, heartfelt punk rock, the kind you don’t hear recorded much anymore.
Rating: 6.5/10
Written by John Jackson
Tracklist:
1. World of Sin
2. King of the Streets
3. Renegade
4. No Choice
5. Shadow of the Cross
6. Brood of Vipers
7. Saved!
8. Infirmities Anthem
Band Members:
J Hawk – Vocals
Harvey Rebellion – Guitar
T Wrex – Bass
Bam Bam – Drums
Record Label: Sky Burns Black Records, June 2015
Weblinks: Facebook
Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission