Lights Out! – Destroy Create

How did a young new band from Germany wind up sounding like they’re from Cleveland in 1979? Lights Out! are the closest thing I’ve heard to the Pagans since . . . never.

This is real punk rock done right. No whiny melodic choruses, no NYHC mosh parts and, most importantly, no influences past 1982. None prior to the 1st Ramones album, neither. If you love The Zero Boys, Angry Samoans, Black Flag (pre-Rollins), Circle Jerks, DOA, etc you have a new favorite band. English punk lovers shouldn’t feel left out because there’s plenty of UK Subs and GBH to make you happy as well.

Formed in 2006, Lights Out! are probably named after the Angry Samoans song of the same name and not the UFO one (although that could make a pretty cool medley for them to do someday). Destroy Create is their debut album and it’s 14 middle fingers delivered in 21 minutes. The songs are short, fast, to the point and filled with anger. They come fast and furious one after the other with rabid energy. The rhythm section plows through everything in its path with vintage harDCore speed like Void or Minor Threat. The guitar is a piece of junk played through a shitty amp turned up way too loud for an obnoxious tone that will piss off all the shredders at the local Guitar Center. There are no solos to speak of, only furiously downstroked barre chords. The vocals are snotty and shouted in a bored Midwestern monotone.

“Something Is Rotten in the Age of Hope” sets the tone by letting you know that “I’m so anti” to a riff lifted from “My Old Man’s A Fatso” by Angry Samoans. At 2:01 it’s the 2nd longest song on the album. The longest song “Destination: Annihilation” clocks in at a “Freebird” like 2:09 and brings to mind vintage Weirdos. The rest of the songs average around 90 seconds and have positive titles like “Shut Up and Obey!” and “Blast Of the Fed Up.” The title track has a bass solo in between screams of “DESTROY CREATE.”

Go return a bunch of cans and buy a quart of the cheapest beer you can find with the nickels. Raid a party, steal some hubcaps and spray paint the walls to the sounds of Lights Out! Live fast, die hard.

--Woody

http://www.myspace.com/lightsoutpunk

Not on Amazon but can buy it from Dead Beat Records


LIGHTS OUT! stuttgart