Gods Of Blitz - Stolen Horse (Four)

Similarly the track titles are a touch doom laden. With numbers like Generation Good-Bye and Gravity Kills the end would seem to be nigh. Rumours of their demise are proved to be an exaggeration however, as the Berlin quartet's punchy guitars cut through the occasional lyrical bitterness.

The best tracks here are a cue for self abandonment, and are headed by The Rising, a breezy rocker whose verse defiantly proclaims, "now those days are gone, I'm free to get it on, with anyone I like" before proceeding to a suitably rebel rousing chorus. Psychology, too, has an enjoyable bluster that carries all before it, while the excellent Majorette has a well drilled beat that doubtless gets the heart going when heard live.

The album's thirteen songs are done and dusted in under forty minutes, by which you'll determine there's little or no padding, indulgence or hanging around. The combination of a sharp, garage-defined sound with a touch of studio polish is invigorating, the sharpness extending to the lyrical content.

There's more than a hint of world weariness about songs like Gravity Kills, where Sebastian Gaebel sings "first the world awaits you, calling out your name, then it will frustrate you, you lose it all again". This is countered by the odd forthright reference such as on the splendidly named A Cat Named Dog, which startles in its proclamation that "he needs a wife, she needs a fuck".

The contrite style is refreshing, the willingness to punch out tune after tune an uplifting quality that carries even the weaker tracks of the album such as Protoman, where even the originality of the lyrics can't disguise the awkward tune.

If you've been impressed by The Hives or the Shout Out Louds then this should get you going, though it's slightly less manic than the former and less deadpan than the latter. It's the musical equivalent of an energy drink.

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