I loved 2018’s ‘Waking Up Dead’ and two years later Bullets and Octane are back with another weighty slab of punk-fueled kick ass dirty hard rock and roll with ‘Riot Riot Rock ‘n’ Roll’.
It’s hard to believe its been 22 years since the band formed and 16 since I heard their debut ‘The Revelry’ and these days they are sounding just as hungry as they did back then.
There’s a jarring, punky heartbeat to the ‘shout it out loud’ title track that opens and a relentlessness that just doesn’t let up. It’s a great song and when the chorus locks in you’re sold but it’s almost instantly overshadowed by the collaboration with ex-Buckcherry guitarist Keith Nelson ‘Ain’t Gonna Be Your Dog’, worthy first single and certainly commercial enough to open a few ears that may currently be missing out on Bullets and Octane.
‘The Devil’ picks up the pace again with some great guitar and a dirty vocal from Louis – man this is a great start to an album, and it doesn’t let up: ‘Give Me A Reason’ taps that more commercial vein again. The half way mark is played out with ‘As The Bombs Fall’ which has a great beat and drive and is relatively restrained. It’s a lovely balance.
The second half starts out nice and cool: ‘Addicted To Outrage’ opens with a slow chug and plenty of dirty swing and a smooth refrain that is inescapable. We get louder and faster with ‘Heaven Can Wait’ and the result is stunning one of the best on an album with so much quality competition.
That leaves us with the dark gypsy punk rock and roll and swing of ‘Chaos’ one of my favourites here; and the gathering storm and lilting guitars of ‘Rooftop Tears’ before the album closes with the pumped up ‘Lost Crazy Psycho’ which bookends the album with another dirty fierce rocker.
It’s great to hear the band in such great form and with another album that really hits the spot, this one in my opinion is even better than 2018’s wonderful ‘Waking Up Dead’ and mixes it up just like the glory days. Brilliant.
9/10
BULLETS AND OCTANE: Gene Louis – Vocals | Felipe Rodrigo – Guitar, Backing Vocals | Zachary Kibbee – Bass, Backing Vocals | Jonny Udell – Drums
