Revenge of the Psychotronic Man - Colossal Velocity
7/10
On their third album, Manchester's RotPM create a feral racket, merging early 80s DC 'core with mid-80s UKHC to terrific effect.
Writing this review, the same words keep coming up. Anger. Bile. Ferocious. Raging. Fury. All seventeen tracks here are angry, bile-laden, ferocious, furious, raging thrashers but RotPM know how to write a catchy anthem. Just listen to the opening brace of To Be Frank and Small Minded NIMBY Prick or closer Rrose Selavy (To Make A Toast To Life) for proof.
Dismantling The Corby(n) Trouser Press and The Sunday Drinkers stray into Oi territory but there’s none of the meat-headed stupidity that blights that genre. I Am Absolutely Fuming lives up to its title, with gloriously infectious gang-chant call-and-response vox.
It's not all shot-blasting brutality. The intro to The Establishment shows melodic intent before blasting back into now familiarly territory. Malibu Phill borders strays into Dropkick Murphys territory, albeit played at the speed of light. Throughout, there are brief hints at grindcore and doom metal.
This is an exhausting listen. A change down a gear or two wouldn't necessarily go amiss but RotPM’s single-minded dedication deserves respect. This is gloriously cathartic and will be terrific live. See ya in the moshpit at the Owl on 15th October.
