Wakrat – ‘Wakrat’ [Review]
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Everyone is angry right now. Not just angry, in fact – infuriated, livid, countless light years beyond merely “pissed off”. Whether you’re talking rejoicing extremists such as the KKK and Al Quaeda or the millions still compulsively facepalming themselves while trying to come to terms with the fact that Donald Trump, a minted and racist reality TV star, is now the world’s most powerful – and dangerous – man, everyone has anger in common no matter which side they’re on.
If there’s a bright side to one of the biggest political shitstorms in recent memory, it’s this: A lot of great punk songs are set to emerge in its wake.
Enter Wakrat. A band already ahead of the curve. A band who perfectly capture the world’s current mood with their eponymous debut album, out right now.
While much has already been made about the fact that former Rage Against The Machine bassist Tim Commerford provides Wakrat’s all-important bottom end, Wakrat’s potential appeal is not limited to some kind of nostalgia trip. Wakrat are a band for the present moment, not to mention the four years to come. See lead single Generation Fucked for further evidence.
Musically, Wakrat takes throat-rending, spit-in-your-face punk and twists it into rhythmic pretzels, the results sounding at once familiar, fresh, and unpredictable. The Number is a perfect case in point, its instrumental sections simultaneously demonstrating terrifying technique and balls-to-the-wall aggression while lyrically, not a single word is wasted. This is the sound of a band on a mission.
Beyond Generation Fucked, Nail In The Snail continues Wakrat’s winning streak – as do La Liberté Ou La Mort, The Thing, and to be honest, every single song located between the start and the end of this album. Wakrat have employed some seriously stringent quality control measures here – and Wakrat the album repeatedly pummels, churns, and reinvigorates until all that remains is silence, and the assorted muted sounds of the world behind your headphones enter your awareness once more.
Given the state of that world, nobody would blame you for pressing play again.
TMMP RATING: 97% (Essential Listening!)
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