Leechpit

Reviews:

The Distillers’ eponymous debut last year was the punk rock equivalent toa prison riot, a thrashing homemade-shiv-and-flaming-mattress sonic blurt thatestablished the band’s territory with extreme prejudice. The Distillers’blazing focal point is guitarist/vocalist Brody Armstrong, an Australian expatriatewho gene splices Joan Jett’s Runaways energy and Wendy O. Williams’ferocious ethic into an irresistibly virulent punk chick hybrid.

For their sophomore outing, Sing Sing Death House, the Distillers offerup less of the same in fine punk fashion. Although the album seems slight at adozen songs in well under half an hour, the Distillers once again play with afury and abandon that leaves the listener breathless from first note to last.If there was more to it, your heart couldn’t stand the strain.

From the feedback squall and stuck throttle drumming of opener “Sick of ItAll” to the old school shout out of “I Am the Revenant” to theshredding frenzy of the title track, the Distillers continue to hone their skillsby retooling the raw materials of influences from back in the day (Circle Jerks,the Plasmatics, the Germs). Perhaps the greatest strength of Sing Sing DeathHouse is the emotional power of the Distillers’ songs, as Armstrong howlsout great punk art from the pain and turbulence and resolution of a crappy childhood.

Since their debut last year, the Distillers have wreaked as much internal havocas external, with the departure of bassist Kim Chi and drummer Mat Young and thearrival of Ryan and Andy to take their respective places. Regardless of any merelineup change, with the incendiary Armstrong fronting the Distillers, fans canrest assured that the punk will remain the same.