Reviews
Stranded
Produced By: Random Killing
1997 - 15 Tracks - 31:15
Fuckin' A!
The Killing storms back after a four year wait with this aggressive, heavier album. The punk roots are still evident but a harder guitar sound and Drool going absolutely ape-shit at the mic at times makes this one kick ass return.
We get 14 all-new tracks each clocking in at 1-2 minutes and dripping hyper-speed. Then we get a strangely redone version of "Thoughts Of Aggression" which none-the-less is so different from the original it's cool.
Favourites here would be the title track, "Krypto" and "Inbred" (samples of all on the sounds page).
I was waiting for this for quite some time and fuck no was I disappointed. The Killing keeps their title (in my mind anyway) as one of the best non-commercial, destructive forces in Canadian music.
I shall say it again: FUCKIN' A!
Urine The 90s Now
Producer(s): Simon Head, John Hadju & Random Killing.
1996 - 31 tracks - 58:26
After a hassel with my CD-rom and discman to get this CD playing (mainly because it starts at Track 69 and my computer/Sony both hated that fact) I managed to get to listen to this the latest release from the band.
Basically what this is is a compilation CD of songs off their other Cds, live tracks, some amusing audio tracks between tunes, a cover song and our first chance to hear the first ever RK recording "Roy Sees Red".
This is a good CD for long-time fans of the band giving them some insight into the people behind the killing with some really amusing tracks between recorded while on tour. The live tracks also flow with a decent idea of the energy they have live.
In the mix are tracks from all three of their previous Raw Energy albums, but this is in no way a "greatest hits" package. Those albums are, to quote Bruce McCulloch formerly of "The Kids In The Hall" comedy troupe, "For housewives and little girls".
We get a cover of fellow Canadian punkers The Ripcordz "Big Wet Kiss" and as an added bonus, track 99 with the aforementioned "Roy..." tune.
All in all this is a good picture of a band that's been around 13 years now and still haven't recieved quite the recognition they deserve.
Thoughts Of Aggression
Produced By: John Hajdu & Random Killing.
1994 - 16 tracks - 42:01
Some of the humour from "Welcome..." is toned down on this their second full-length release from Raw Energy. And boy does this album kick ass. Right away from the opener "Eddy" you know you're into something good. You could call this punk with a groove since it does have a little one going on. Drool's vocals become more sharper, the playing is a little tighter and the lyrics continue to tackle serious topics while using parody.
"Powerplay" about victimization stands-out to me as my favourite track just because of the cool opening riff and drum part along with lyrics that make you think.
Yes, it's still humourous at times but this band really shows it's chops and intelligence. Where a lot of punk is just there to shock and offend, they make meaningful statements while maintaining their sense of fun.
Dig the pointless 10 minutes of rainfall after the last track fades out...
Re-Issued
Produced By: John Hadju & Random Killing
1993 - 16 tracks - 29:53
Basically a compilation of the bands pre-Raw Energy releases including 1985's "Take Our Flag", two tracks off European compilations, 1989's "This Whole World" and a previously unreleased track with current vocalist Drool.
Tracks 1-8 make up the "This Whole World" release with the bands second vocalist V. Dumpster handling the singing chores. Lots of intentional humour ("Kill Your Parents" & "Subway Suicide") is shown and this is much more aggressive than the traditional punk sounding tracks 9-15 when Rodney Wastelands handled the vocal chores. Dumpster at times sounds similar to current vocalist Drool, but isn't quite as good.
Tracks 9-13 are "Take Our Flag" which seems a little bit dated today, but gives us a glimpse at what RK "could" have been. I myself am glad they didn't stick with Wastelands cause he's got that whole British punk whine going on and it gets a tad annoying at times.
Tracks 14 and 15 are Wastelands again, yipee skippy!
It all ends with "Borrowed Time" a quick, agressive snapper with Drool at the mic. It's the best song here and a sign of what was to come.
Stick around and hear a shoddy version of "In The Jungle".
Welcome...
Produced By: John Hajdu.
1992 - 21 tracks - 48:07
This is the album that introduced me to this band. I remember reading a small article about them in a local magazine in which they claimed to be Elvis' sons (inlay from CD can be viewed under "Random..."). At the time punk was a thing I slightly listened to because I really didn't find many of the bands to my liking.
Well I picked up "Welcome...", popped it in and was totally drawn in. It's just the mixture of humour and aggression that I've always liked about this band. They can be funny, but they can also make you think about things.
Used to drive around blaring the title track and "Undertaker" and people. This was one of my favourite CDs of 1992 and with good reason.
It was Drool's first album as vocalist and I can say that none of the bands past vocalists come close to comparing. One cool ass voice backed by a fairly tight group of musicians along with a good sense of fun makes this a good starting point for those unfamiliar with the band.
Welcome... indeed.
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Updated: 09/09/97