Badterms are among my absolute favorite projects. I saw them live last year in a small club, where their raw energy really stood out, and combined with the close contact with the audience it created an incredible atmosphere. What makes Badterms exceptional are their musicianship skills, which are on a very high level. The band knows how to squeeze the maximum out of two guitars and push their music to a completely different level.
Their version of punk’oi’roll is strongly influenced by rock’n’roll with a glam-tinged edge. What bands like Claimed Choice, Sympos, and others already do well, Badterms take even further — they splash kerosene into the engine and shift the whole thing up another gear. What I enjoy most about this record is that thanks to the abundance of motifs, tempo changes, and guitar flourishes, it never slips into monotony. On the contrary, it keeps pulling me back for repeated listens.
The record opens with the driving, heavily rock’n’roll-flavored Nest Of Vipers. After a slower start, the song kicks into gear and forces you to bounce on the spot — a perfect track for a packed small club. The second song, Nervous Youth, picks up the pace and delivers a teenage gangster anthem that I can easily imagine paired with a comic-book-style video. Next comes my personal favorite, Preaching to the Choir, which relentlessly mocks all kinds of modern-day messiahs searching for “truth” online and explaining to you how the world really works. We’ve all met that local loser who, after five beers, suddenly starts showing off his “expertise” in international politics, medicine, and global issues — all acquired through diligent late-night internet reading on his parents’ bathroom toilet. Side A closes with the hit Angry Song, which I see as one of those tracks destined to become a full-on live burner, capable of heating any club well beyond its operating temperature.
Side B opens with the misanthropic Nothing Makes Sense, followed by the strongly streetpunk-flavored What’s Coming To You, featuring excellent gang vocals. The penultimate track, Tarred & Feathered, is one I already know from the Spotty Herbert compilation and is very much a typical song for this band. The record closes with Sea of Blood, which feels like it contains the fewest rock’n’roll influences and comes closest to the band’s more punk-oriented face — largely thanks to the way the chorus is constructed.
The artwork, as always with Badterms, is spot on this time as well, featuring graphics by Jeff Poleone, and it’s absolutely worth the attention. The sleeve includes all the lyrics, which I always appreciate. This is exactly why listening to music on streaming services will never beat the feeling of holding a physical record in your hands, complete with artwork and lyrics.
Badterms know how to cherry-pick elements mainly from punk, rock’n’roll, and pop-art aesthetics, cook them together with a heavy dose of artistic creativity and technical skill, and serve up a damn tasty mixture. It tastes best when seasoned with a small club, friends all around, sweat-soaked shirts in the front row, a few beers, and an evening show. Badterms rule, and their new record is already one of my top contenders for album of the year 2026. And I don’t think that’s going to change. Released in collaboration with TKO Records and Contra Records.
TOP TRACKS: Preaching to the Choir, Nest Of Vipers, Angry Song
