Album Review: The Smoking Hearts - 'Victory!'

The Smoking Hearts' 'Victory!' is an energetic offering with plenty of break-neck, ass-kicking tunes to go around. The combination of a hardcore punk style with shredding solos and hard-hitting rock and roll riffs is a winning formula that sets them apart from other similar acts at the moment and will keep you coming back for more.

Clocking in at around 32 minutes, 'Victory!' is a jam-packed record that's bursting with the kind of frantic energy the band brings to their infamous live shows, which usually involve band members strewn about the crowd/hanging from the ceiling etc. From track one all the way to the end, the momentum doesn't let up.

The Smoking Hearts' riffage power is strong indeed. The band has pulled out all the stops on this record, showcasing blistering hardcore punk and southern rock/metal elements, as well as bluesy hard rock solos that would sound perfectly at home on Metallica's Black Album. This truly is a party album at heart, a soundtrack to a night of heavy drinking and a fight or six. Just what any good party needs.

The harsh vocals employed throughout the majority of the record are deliciously aggressive and confronting, and are frequently accompanied by gang vocals performed by over 40 of the band's mates, further adding to that party rock vibe. Some of the choruses tiptoe dangerously close to the edge of pop punk (i.e. track two, 'Benedict'), but there's no denying their catchiness. You'll be hearing these hooks in your head long after you've picked up your teeth from the floor and your ears have stopped ringing.

Overall, this album is no minor accomplishment. It's bursting at the seams with attitude and is a testament to modern British punk.

If you're looking for something to listen to during a bar fight, 'Victory!' is certainly a contender. The Smoking Hearts have managed to cram all the excitement and energy you'll find at one of their hectic live shows into an album that perfectly represents them as an act, and one they should be proud of releasing.

1. Off With Your Head

2. Benedict

3. Seatbelts

4. Blue Nun

5. Apefight

6. Stomper

7. The Natural Disasters

8. Sinking Ships

9. Crimes of Passion

10. Smoke and Mirrors, Baby

11. Destroy!