Lights Out! - destroy-create

Lights Out! – “destroy - create”, 2009
(Dead beat)

From the opening moment it’s clear that this German punk band are thumbing their noses at the past 25 years of fashion and trends in music as their approach and sound is rooted in the year of 1982.  In the US hardcore was making waves and the UK was pogoing in the second wave of punk.  The band belches out quick short snotty songs. Jay Hill’s angry English spitting approach to punk vocals could place Lights Out! firmly in the same era as the UK Subs.

“Contempt” and “Kiss Me, Please” pick from the Minor Threat song bible of righteous anger.  The short swift kick of  “destroy-create” should definitely please those who pick the bands chosen moniker as an Angry Samoans reference. A trans-continent experiment is trialed in “Broken Hearts, Broken Minds” as the band combines an American hardcore instrumental undercurrent with a more traditional UK punk chorus. “Destination: Annihilation” motors anthemic rhyme and nihilistic theme at ramming speed into the listener’s head.

There’s a patchiness on this album reminiscent of the punk cassette compilations of yesteryear.   The bands recorded straight to tape and  the finished products were traded until they were nth generation taped copies.  The sound quality always varied but underneath the murky hiss, it was still possible to tell that all the bands were different.   No matter how many songs there were, only a small percentage were memorable. In the future if the Lights Out! choose more even recording quality and production, the band may well  transform into a force to be reckoned with.

2.5/5

Lights out! on myspace



This is definitely not the Michigan band who I've just checked out and they caused me to puke in my own mouth.  They describe themselves as Pop punk but are about as punk as One Direction.  I don't recommend even looking at their facebook page because you have to like them before you can hear them.

Here's the challenge.  Listen to them yourselves on reverb nation.