Wiseheimer

Industrial Retribution

Written by: PP on 07/02/2010 16:11:14

I could've sworn Wiseheimer are from California because of their tight 90s skatepunk sound that typically populates that area, but lo and behold, they're actually from New South Wales, Australia, and they're pretty darn good at what they do. Like TL said, all Aussie bands seem to be awesome, regardless of genre, and back when I was living down there, I can only confirm that their music scene is much akin to that of Ontario, Canada: it is ridiculously good. "Industrial Retribution" is the band's second full length effort, one that any fan of Ignite, Pennywise, Bad Religion and Propagandhi should consider owning.

Why? Lets start with the instrumentals. Bring on the Pennywise-influenced super tight guitars and a commanding d-beat on the background. The riffs are more than just competent, in fact there are several passages where the lightning speed chord switches create an almost technical feel to the band's music, very similar to the one you've heard on the last two Propagandhi albums. Then you've got the vocalist, who sounds partly like Zoltan (Ignite), a little like Jim Lindberg (Pennywise), and partly like Chris Hannah (Propagandhi), while spitting out intellectual socio-political lyrics that rival those by Bad Religion. Maybe this guy doesn't have a PhD, but yet he sings his lyrics with strong conviction as if he himself had been a victim of some of the policies he's talking about. Consider this passage from the album's best track, "Contract", for instance:

"I'd like to meet the pen-pushing dweeb, who had the bright idea to raise profit margins by forcing poverty. If we squeeze the masses just a little more, and cut the wages of the working poor, and when they're struggling to survive, we'll throw them a life-line as long as they'll sign over the dotted line. Did you read the fine print? 'Cause you just signed away all of your rights [...] And you wrote a contract. Do exactly what we say. There's no one to represent you. 'Cause they take that right away. [...] That dweeb is gonna get his Christmas bonus, and have a good night sleep on his brand new satin sheets"

"Hatred Breeds", "White Noise", "Not Music", and "Parasite" are all among the highlights from a disc which seems to have nothing but highlights. They're all tracks fueled by passionate anger towards the 'system', and as a consequence the songs are played with urgency and immediacy. You can hear from every riff, from every lyric, that this band are passionate about their cause, and that sort of attitude often automatically translates into explosive songs, which is the case on "Industrial Retribution". So if any of the bands/singers I mentioned are among your favorite bands, don't hesitate to buy a copy of Wiseheimer.

Download: Contract, Hatred Breeds, White Noise
For the fans of: Ignite, Pennywise, Propagandhi, Bad Religion
Listen: Myspace

Release date 19.05.2009
UNSIGNED BAND

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