Charger – Warhorse (Pirates Press Records)

As a rule, most bands are happy to find themselves a musical genre and sit within those confines. But there are always exceptions to the rule, and Charger is a case in point. With one foot in both punk and metal camps, this band has a huge crossover appeal. Equal parts Motorhead, English Dogs or GBH, perhaps not something you would expect from this power-trio consisting of Matt Freeman (Rancid), Jason Willer (Jello Biafra & The Guantanamo School Of Medicine) and Andree McGee (Wired All Wrong).

The first couple of tunes speed along the lines I mentioned above setting the scene for this punk-metal bastard. Things start to twist and turn with Summon The Demon – drawing from the same sources as, say Battle Ruins, but verging on prime Helloween territory, this could become a modern power-metal classic. Dig Your Own Grave also dives deep into NYOBHM territory – a band like Angel Witch would have been proud to have penned this fist-banger which descends into a full-on keyboard-driven prog rock extravaganza.

Then with Will To Survive that long hair is cut shorter and spiked up – where legends began you might say. I think though by the time Foresaken Soul rolls into town, it\’s fair to say that metal is the predominant factor in this feast of heaviness. And at the end of the day, if someone creates genres and puts up musical walls, then you have to expect bands to come along and tear them down. Charger don\’t just rewrite the rules – they just grab the book, douse it in petrol, set fire and dance around the flames. Tom Chapman

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