Various Artists
I Don't Wanna Be A Part Of Your So Called Punk
Tonehjulet Kräftpest

The Halden based label/musical collective/band service/mangement Tonehjulet Kräftpest released the compilation I Don't Wanna Be A Part Of Your So Called Punk a couple of months ago. Their mission was to compile songs from a certain Halden, Østfold county (just south-east of Oslo) music scene with a punk attitude - in musical style or spirit. The various artists included for sure present a variety of styles within, or near the punk rock. DIY attitude still rules, OK!

I Don't Wanna... holds 12 bands, 12 songs, and indie-rockers Anti Poison Slammer's opening "Fold The Curl" is the perfect energetic starter. Rough and catchy, with male/female ping-pong vocals. Moffarammes, presenting their song "One Girl, Two Problems", are sort of a SST-alt-hardcore sounding band (think Minutemen). Quite uplifting. As is "Havanna" (sic) by Vaya Con Satan, a three-piece counting Hanna Fauske (bass, vocals), Roy Klemmetsrud (drums, vocals) and Laurits Mosseby (guitar, vocals). Despite their name (I was expecting some stupid Turbonegro rip-off band), they're indeed an amusing and entertaining band. Definitely worth checking out! Fork, with their song "Lucifer Will Fucking Kill You Even Though You Are A Christian", play fast forward catchy punk-pop as done by Snuff back in the late 1980s/early 1990s. A high octane energy blast, which it is quite nice to 'stand near' to feel it's punch and get you hair and ears blown backwards. Same goes for Dakari (with their "Them"), who play tough hardcore with screamish vocals, and Göttemia ("Mongoloid") who stick to old-school punk-pop (à la The Damned).

Messerschmitt's doom-rockin' "Norman Bates" is another song with cool riffs from metal-land. Olafly -- with the compilation's only song in Norwegian; "Løft opp" -- play ska/dub quite nicely, while H.M.K.G.'s "Sinful" somehow makes me think of The Stranglers. Then we get presented to quite opposite and different bands with Tempo & The Terror Twins' 1960's styled, instrumental rock-piece "Psychowitch" on one hand, and Freedumb ("Troublesome Twosome") mashing out metal rock like a blend of Motörhead and Metallica on the other. Finally there's Lucky Malice with their "Sparkles", a song up the alley of, say, Kim Gordon's Sonic Youth songs. Or maybe a bit like Gordon's/Julie Cafritz' Free Kitten project.

All in all a nice collection of songs, topped by Vaya Con Satan, Anti Poison Slammer, Fork, and Moffarammes. I do wanna be a part of Tonehjulet Kräftpest's punk.

Copyright © 2011 Håvard Oppøyen