Recently I was given the new release by Seattle Oi band, Sledgeback called 7 Years Like A Broken Record. In my humble opinion, Sledgeback should be given the title of Seattle’s foremost oi band. They bring oi to its most pure levels.
Singer Gabi Hun is originally from Hungary and this gives Sledgeback its unique combination of Eastern European flavor combined with Seattle grunge. His voice sounds like he has a throat made of sand paper, which is perfect for punk rock.
The songs all come in short three-minute bursts of raw punk energy and include topics such as getting old and the demise of dear friends.
Oi is a genre that seems sorely lacking not only in the Pacific Northwest, but the entire United States. Granted, for any pure punk act, with few exceptions, one has to dig beyond the commercial arena to hear them. Oi and punk in general are difficult to find and are sorely lacking adequate exposure on both radio and in print. I am doing my part here by recommending 7 Years Like A Broken Record. The recording is full of just the right amount of anger, yet questioning that sums up the punk rock ethos.
Hun grinds through catchy guitar hooks and driving percussion to make 7 Years a definitive addition not only to Seattle’s thriving (but not thriving enough) punk/oi scene as well as a great contributor to the genre world wide.
Oi to the world indeed!
You can hear sound clips from the album here.
