Album Review: Anchors - 'Bad Juju'

What began as a side project quickly became a main focus for the members of Melbourne punk band Anchors, possibly because they all quickly realized that they were doing it right. After a couple of well received EPs, the band have released their debut full length ‘Bad Juju,’ which was recorded in Melbourne with Joel Taylor (The Abandonment, In Trenches).

What they have ended up with is a record of straight up hardcore and punk jams laced with melody and an unashamed love of shredding riffs. Opening track 'Stay Frosty' shows that both of the guitarists in the band can use their instruments well, which is the reason why the guitars are the standout of the whole record. The album is not without its many gang vocal sing-a-longs and second track 'The Feelgood Hit Of The Summer' brings them in hard and fast in a swell of melodic hardcore.

The vocals duel in 'We Are Oscar Mike' featuring guest vocals from Grenadiers front man Jesse Coulter before the guitars return with the thunder in the title track, which offers the record’s best riffs. It would be easy for the songs to blend into one another and become complacent in a genre like this but luckily there are enough exciting changes in the song structures to keep the ear from tuning out.

The highlight of the album is 'One Man Wolf Pack,' a summary of all the group’s musical elements and the finest moment of cohesion amongst all members. The thing that grabs you about this record is that it is fun and slightly reckless, two things that good punk music is meant to convey, and Anchors do it well.

The end is just as intense as the beginning with 'Buscemi,' in which the guitars are full of liveliness but still manage to have a smooth feel to them as they wrap around each other in a frantic haze. 'Ill Glory' is another hardcore, gang-vocal stomp that builds well into the powerful ender 'Crush Syndrome.'

Initially released in the final moments of 2010, there was just enough time for ‘Bad Juju’ to scrape itself into the Short Fast Loud Top 40 list for the year and after one listen you can see that such an accolade is well deserved.

01. Stay Frosty

02. The Feelgood Hit Of The Summer

03. We Are Oscar Mike

04. Year Of The Bastard

05. Bad Juju

06. One Man Wolf Pack

07. Buscemi

08. Ill Glory

09. Crush Syndrome

10. Untitled