There’s something about the post-industrial desolation that still scars Birmingham that keeps producing heavy bands (of all different stripes), and the latest to come blazing out of that city are hardcore quintet Fangs Out. Armed with a skull shattering sound, Fangs Out aren’t for the faint of heart, yet for those who like their punk with plenty of vim and vigour, the band are bout to drop their third EP, The Humour In Hell.
If ever a band was aptly-titled, then it is surely Fangs Out. Like a cobra springing from its coil, Fangs Out go straight for the throat with opening blast ‘It’s Your Funeral’. Attesting to a sense of urgency, there’s no time wasted on fancy introductions or wordy preliminaries, just a sucker punch in the shape of spiky, angular guitar and pounding drums. Tough-as-nails and hard-as-hell, Fangs Out are far from serene, but punk was never meant to be, and this crew hit the listener right between the eyes. Vocalist Mikey White sounds angry and aggressive, and he immediately gets up close and personal, yet there’s an emotional edge, a slight quiver in the voice, that makes it all the more powerful. This is music tailor made for civil disobedience, and is sure to cause havoc wherever it is unleashed.
The great thing about Fangs Out is that they’re anything but generic, and they attack from several angles with ‘All The Best Drugs’ easing off the throttle (slightly) for a track that’s akin to sleeping on a bed of nails; it’s uncomfortable and offers little in the way of relief (but in the best possible way, of course). Likewise, ‘Video Nasties’ is an almost sludgy affair and comes rolled in a ball of glorious feedback, yet it’s ‘Sabbath Town’ where we really hit pay dirt; a punky version of Iggy Pop’s ‘The Passenger’, it’s a pillion ride through the deindustrialised streets of their home town, and with venom continuously pouring forth, is very arresting. With no signs of flagging, closer ‘Down Here With Me’ dishes out more ferocious punk, yet there’s a sting in the tail via a piano outro that stands in marked contrast to the preceding storm, and makes the silence that follows positively deafening.
With their no-holds-barred sound, it seems that the EP is the perfect format for Fangs Out, and truth be told they’ve packed more into these five cuts that most band pour into an entire career, and The Humour In Hell finds Fangs Out drawing first blood.
- The Humour In Hell is released on 6th October 2023.
Track List:
- It’s Your Funeral
- All The Best Drugs
- Video Nasties
- Sabbath Town
- Down Here With Me
