Various Artists
Kerrang! The Album '09 (Rhino)
I’ll admit quite happily, as a youngster I was very much a Kerrang! reader – and I still look in on it with fondness from time to time.
In fact its new bands section still regularly throws up things I’m interested in; I’d argue the mag still champions innovative and exciting acts.
As an album, it’s a shame that there aren’t more of those bands represented. The favour tends clearly towards the more commercial aspects – sensible, obviously, if you’re trying to shift units.
There are some unforgiveable clangers – such as the turgid, pathetic whining of Theory of a Deadman’s ‘I Hate My Life – and I’m pretty sure ‘If Today Was Your Last Day’ you wouldn’t be wasting it listening to Nickelback. Some, too, are once-respected acts nowadays just phoning in another single (Green Day, Brody Dalle, Marilyn Manson, I’m looking at you).
But there are also some interesting little numbers (STFUppercut – terrible name, decent song; Chiodos, Swound!, Mastodon and the Dead Formats) and enough popular-with-the-teens reasonable radio rock (All-American Rejects, Paramore, You Me At Six) to tide things over.
There’s a brooding teen – or post-teen in need of a little rawk – in all our lives who could enjoy this collection.
Elaine Liddle
