Shock the Algorithm – Rock and Roll Kills

Shock the Algorithm is a trio from Greece. A polished, tight band. Very unpunk in a lot of ways, and that makes it punk rock. “Eat the rich” and all that business. Several of the tracks are a sweet fusion, 80s hair metal and late 70s London punk. The song set takes me back to my high school punk mania days. Hundreds of backyards, skate parks, and gritty club gigs. Slam dancing, body heat condensing steam rising in a dark, dank warehouse. Sunny summer days outdoor festivals in local parks, every time, sweat drenched. By the end of the show, we all looked like we had endured a massive rain shower.

“Butterfingers” the second song on the album amps up the energy. A good party track that your friends haven’t heard yet. If there’s one thing, I’ve learned over the years about being in a music scene, street cred is earned when you introduce a new song, band or album to your crew. I remember a friend of a friend, a preppy looking guy dropping the needle on Nirvana’s “Bleach”. The album was a new release at the time, well before “Nevermind”. He proved two points to me:

-never judge a person by their outward appearance,

-there’s more killer new music out there than we realize, and that’s why you read Metal Revolution.

Back to the music…

“No Tomorrow” – punk rock and roll Iron Maiden. Give a listen, he sounds a lot like the irons lead vocalist.
The middle songs on the album lost my attention. I thought, here we go again, so much promise. For a few tracks the album falls flat.

Fortunately, the rock n roll angst comes roaring back with “Like We Used To”. First listen the song didn’t do it, it took a few more listens. The song is pop. It is vaguely punk; it is a solid song to introduce people new to punk or metal music. Getting a little C.C. DeVille guitar styling on this one. “Ramona” evokes SUM 41 meets their professed speed metal fanboy song writing. Blazing guitars, melodic and catchy chorus. This song got me right back into the album. “You’re So Strange to Me”, loved the lyrics on this 90 second song. Sounds like acid rock, sped up and gone punk. Short and punchy. “The Devil is a Bottle” – sleazy Hollywood punk/hair metal hybrid. Need I say more?! Pop punk moments, anthemic punk ethos throughout. For fans of D Generation, The Explosion and Green Day. Band songwriter, Marky says: “it’s a true Punk ‘n Roll – RnR album, with melody, energy, passion, feeling, intensity (and) lyricism… The outro is an interesting sonic change of pace. Is this a punk rock Steely Dan? Is there now a punk yacht rock? I’m all for that music voyage.

The album art is one of those perfect for looking deeply into while you’re listening. A black and white cartoonish skeleton band. Reminds of Suicidal Tendencies styled art. Interesting artisitic elements, two baseballs is kind of random from a European band. It’s possible the artist or the band are fans of the American sport.

14 songs on their debut, a solid song set with at least 5 songs to add to your playlist on high rotation. Very interested to hear where their songwriting goes next. https://shockthealgorithm.bandcamp.com/album/rock-and-roll-kills