REVIEW - The Mercy Kills - 'New Rule' EP

Melbourne's The Mercy Kills have been with us for a while now, plying their mix of dirty rock 'n' roll, punk and grunge and releasing a number of fine albums and EPs of those genres. 'New Rule' was actually recorded in 2010 but never officially released until now, where Golden Robot Records have picked it up and put it out into the world.

It's a wild, sexy record that comes stomping in with 'I Wanna' with it's pounding drums (courtesy of Josh Black), groping bass line (Jen X Costello), switchblade guitars (Mark E and Nathalie Gelle) and sleazy vocal that bursts into a chant-along chorus. It's a 'start as they mean to go on' opener and a thrilling beginning that leads into 'New Rule' which is another 'groover' with insistent guitar riffs and a roiling chorus with call and response vocals.

'So Many Times' dispenses with the groove for a driving, thunderous track that shakes, rattles and rolls and leaves you breathless with the energy of it all. Single 'Fall' is next with its 'hey, hey, hey' exhortations and takes you back to the band's sleaze punk strengths, with swinging riffs and 'superhuman' drumming from Black on another full-pelt track. The EP concludes with 'Go' with its brooding menace within its chiming guitars and down and dirty bassline topped with another angsty chant-along chorus that epitomises the band and urges you to blast the EP out at a suitably loud volume.

Having supported the likes of Courtney Love, Everclear, Misfits and Rose Tattoo, the Mercy Kills have obviously made their mark among the musical community, and on the strength of this EP, should, by all rights, see them crossover into bigger audiences further afield from their native Australia.

'New Rule' is released today (12th February) on all the major digital sites and on Golden Robot Records.