Just in time for Christmas there are a few new collections of Christmas and holiday tunes coming out. Solid State/Tooth&Nail have put together a collection which they are charging for and to me that just doesn’t seem to be in the “spirit of the holidays”, but that’s just my view. I hearken back to the Rottweiler Records Fleas Naughty Dog collections that featured a collection of punk, metal, indie, industrial, and even black metal bands covering Christmas songs and released for free. Those were the days. In that spirit Veritas Vinyl has released a collection of songs from various bands of various styles for their contribution and made it available as a “name your price” download on bandcamp (link below)
As one probably expects, there are various takes on the songs done. Some classic tunes, some original, Although the album title is The Punks Who Stole Christmas, this isn’t a strict punk/hardcore compilation with the inclusion of Slaves BC who kick off the album with sludgy metal in “Suzy Snowflake”.
Moral Monsters contribute a poppy punk version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” that likely any rock music listener could relate to as it has that universal appeal of both a beloved holiday song and the happy tone/style of pop punk.
Over Mortal shifts things a bit more toward the hardcore side of things and perhaps appropriately given the genre, present a somewhat accusatory song on their views that “Christmas has nothing to do with Christ”.
Cat Head Deathray bring things back toward the fast street punk with “Eggnog Til I Puke”, which seems like something one would expect from a punk band doing Christmas songs.
Grace and Thieves present their version of the traditional “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”, which starts out acoustic for the first verse and then shifts into high gear with a hardcore take on the second verse before shifting back acoustic under guitar feedback fading out.
So, in the end, an eclectic collection of songs and styles and approaches but staying mostly within the realms of punk/hardcore. There’s some silly songs, some traditional, and one that presents a completely different take on Christmas, something for everyone.
Rating: 7/10
Written by John Jackson
Tracklist:
1. Suzy Snowflake – Slaves BC
2. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Moral Monsters
3. A Friendly Christmas PSA – Over Mortal
4. Eggnog ‘Til I Puke – Cat Head Deathray
5. O Come, O Come Emmanuel – Grace and Thieves
Bands:
Slaves BC
Moral Monsters
Over Mortal
Cat Head Deathray
Grace and Thieves
Record Label: Veritas Vinyl, Nov. 2014
Available here at Bandcamp: