Smackdown

The Smackdown have taken their interest in professional wrestling and turned it into a hardcore gimmick worthy of a few laughs. Put in terms of WWE alumni, the record would translate as a bit of Shawn Michaels’s flamboyancy added to Mick Foley’s insanity with the appeal of Chris Jericho’s contrived Fozzy endeavour. In terms of tunes, they continuously reference the Swedish punk/hardcore tradition, sounding like a schizophrenic Refused combined with the dance rock of their spin off, the (International) Noise Conspiracy. Add a bit of National Acrobat’s intensity and a twist of Bronx-esque rock revival and you have the recipe for a good old fashioned aural pile driver. Though the record begins with a hint of promise this is quickly dispelled by songs that are each indistinguishable from the last, using the same old moves again and again, despite themselves flying off the ropes on far too many occasions. The relentless fury with which this record proceeds gets boring and it’s hard not to question whether or not others should consider the paper-per-hear nature of purchasing this record.