Album Review: "Present Day Plague" by S.N.A.F.U.

In the early 1970s there was an R&B and funk rock band of very minor renown called Snafu.  This is not your father’s Snafu.  The present day S.N.A.F.U. and their latest release Present Day Plague are a violent trip through a post-apocalyptic landscape of human decadence.

I am not sure there has ever been a band to so seamlessly merge the hardcore punk sounds of Napalm Death with the thrash mastery of Slayer as S.N.A.F.U has done here.  The comparison to Napalm Death is obvious. The songs are each a short, explosive bludgeoning of charged anger.  Yet the lead breaks and vocal cadence called to mind Reign In Blood era Slayer.   

There are moments when Present Day Plague settles into methodic crunchy riffs of doom, but they are short lived before inevitably searing into rapid fire thrash riffs reminiscent of Metallica's Kill ‘Em All played at double time. 

Album Review: "Zamboni" by Zamboni

Although Zamboni describes themselves as “the worst band ever to attempt any form of music” I actually found their eponymous debut album very good.  If nothing else this long awaited and oft delayed amalgamation of metal and hardcore punk album is a ton of fun in the exact sort of spirit one would expect from such a combined genre. 

  Nine short ferocious songs, which make you want to run around the room, jump on furniture and break things. 

One thing that stood out to me was the production on the drums, which sounded clear and crisp in stark contrast to the buzzsaw guitars cutting through each track with unrelenting energy.  

Since I listened to the album and drafted this review before reading the band’s biography, I did not realize this was partially due to band dismissing their drummer during the recording process and replacing him with recorded drums on four of the nine tracks.  Even live Zamboni has opted to move forward as a two piece plus a drum machine.