We Are Legion,
Billy No MatesIt looks like Snuff, sounds like Snuff, and probably would taste like Snuff if you were so inclined as to have a bit of a munch on the CD. Billy No Mates is in fact Duncan from Snuff's solo side-project, where he's played every beat and note on the entire album – I'm not entirely sure why (I lost the press release) – and the results are, to say the least, pretty successful.
As the vocalist and drummer in Snuff it's arguable that Duncan provided them with a sizeable chunk of their personality, and it's pleasing to report that We Are Legion sounds like Snuff enough to be recognisable, but not enough for this to be simply written off. Even though it takes a couple of tracks for the album to really kick in, since while 'Bones' and 'Memories Come Memories Go' are both fairly interesting tracks, they don't stand up to the melody-drenched 'Look At You', ...Legion is a solid collection of songs that are refreshing in their low-fi approach to punk rock. There's no flashy tricks here, unless you call effective deployment of some brilliantly catchy and simple riffs on 'Look At You' and 'Slaptop' flashy. All twelve tracks are presented in broad strokes, with Duncan's laconic London tones characterising them all alongside the driving, meaty punk rock that Snuff have built a legacy on.
It's worth stating that this sounds like no vanity project or meandering, boredom-avoiding album. Duncan's evidently a very talented man, swerving from all-out old-school hardcore on 'What's Wrong With That?' to the more bassy 'Frijweg', encompassing all flavours and varieties of punk rock without exhausting any of his considerable enthusiasm. 'Fade' is the most accomplished track on the album, moving from an almost stadium-rock style of punk (huge drums, brilliantly simple guitar work that elevates the track into the stratosphere) to a deep, crunchy outro that suggests that were Duncan to put out a second album he'd have more than enough ideas to expand on an already accomplished début.
Yeah, it sounds a lot like Snuff and were you to play 'We Are Legion' to someone aware of the band they'd probably think it was another Snuff album. But it's a good collection of songs that sits well as a very English punk rock album that is about as far removed from anything even remotely zeitgeisty that it comes highly recommended.
Ben
www.10past12records.com
