Disciples Of Tone, Disciples Of Tone - EP review
They've been around for 15 years, but have only just graced our record collections with their first releases.
Disciples Of Tone - from Cradley, Perry Barr and Worcester - only dropped their first seven-inch single a few months ago.
And to follow that up, they've expanded it with another two acid-tongued punk romps to bump it up to a four-track EP.
The three-piece - Robert Simmons on drums and vocals, Richard London on bass and saxophone and guitarist and vocalist Tim Giblin - might be in their late 50s but they're not ready to hang their plectrums and sticks up yet.
These four creations mix two sides of punk, from the gritty anarchism of the rougher end of the spectrum to the more melodic strands of the genre.
The opener Politician is by far the 'softest' of those and sticks more to the radio-friendly parts of the spectrum. Gently-strummed guitars - although holding a little bit of agitation within the sound - guide us on a melodically friendly, rise-and-fall path that carries the voice of Simmons nicely.
Simmons also lends his deep tones - a little like Richard Hawley's - to the closer Streets Of My Town. This sits a little in between the soft and abrasive. A ska-fused intro brings us in before we settle into a Hawley-esque grunge-fest for the verse.
Giblin lends his voice to the other two tracks - Utopian Dreams and Pyro.
The former, which partnered with Politician on the seven-inch release, is full of danger-filled riffs and frustration at life. They boil over nicely for the stomping chorus niftily powered by London's frantic bassline.
And for Pyro, warning sirens count us in and here Giblin barks his anarchic message rather than sings it. We are definitely falling into old-skool punk here with the frenetic pace of the track.
We argue this was well worth the wait. A delicious look into the punk sounds of yesteryear to be enjoyed by young and old. Abrasion, class and ferocity combine for a solid time capsule of musicianship.
Rating: 7/10
To buy physical copies of the EP, email the band on disciplesoftone@msn.com. Disciples Of Tone are also playing at Stourbridge's Claptrap The Venue on October 27 from 8pm to 8.30pm as part of Sunday Shenanigans, with admission free.
