Random Acts Of Defiance,
ShatterhandComing off like Frankie Stubbs fronting Fastlane, Scotland's Shatterhand make their bid for relevance with Random Acts of Defiance and all credit to them, they certainly come up with the goods here. A fine collection of angry songs, all replete with the social conscience so obviously lacking in the majority of today's 'punk' music, that doesn't do anything especially differently but that seems to revel in its heritage.
Take 'Caught In The Headlights' or 'Dissolve' for example. Both are punchy punk rock songs liberally doused with melody and Stuart's effectively abrasive vocals that are admirable in their desire to simply get the Shatterhand message out to as many people as possible. Leatherface comparisons are inevitable without being limiting, because throughout 'Random Acts...' Dave's guitar comes up with enough riffery to ensure that proceedings are kept interesting (if not thrillingly different) while still locating the album firmly within the canon of British punk rock. Big choruses, catchy riffs and thudding drums characterise Shatterhand's sound and to tell the truth, it's also imbued with an honesty that a hundred bands on Deep Elm couldn't muster if their haircuts depended on it.
Even viewed from a purely aesthetic point of view it's hard not to respect the effort Shatterhand have put into this recording. The artwork is sublimely poignant, and there is an air of professionalism that never dilutes their message, but in fact underlines it due to the sheer weight of care that has gone into the packaging. With this in mind it's a lot easier to take the songs on display here a lot more seriously – take the frenzied dash through 'Blood Money' or 'Speakeasy' for examples of songs literally bleeding conviction. Face To Face would be proud.
Finding fault in 'Random Acts of Defiance' is very much a question of your initial stance. If you hanker for a bit of old-school street punk that can be appreciated as both the soundtrack for a beery session as well as an idealistic manifesto of sorts, then it's well worth tracking down because it's a great example of the genre - it's full of impassioned, politicised anthems that will be lapped up by the right audience. But whether it's going to reach beyond it's own boundaries is unclear, since there's not enough innovation or spark to really persuade the casual listener to part with their hard-earned.
Ben
www.shatterhand.co.uk
shatterhand@blueyonder.co.uk
