The Chisel! The Chisel! The Chisel! If this review had to be six words long, these would be the six. The second album from this London punk outfit is an absolutely top-class release, and I doubt anyone with a taste for the punk side of the musical spectrum could remain indifferent to it. The band mixes street punk, Oi!, hardcore and UK82 punk into a frantic blend that is infectious and incredibly energetic. They don’t take themselves too seriously, but they also know how to really put some force into their songs, and they are clearly on a crusade to kick your ass and get you moving. This is their second full-length album, following the 2021 LP Retaliation. Their first album was released by the London label La Vida Es Un Mus, while the second came out on the US-based Pure Noise Records, a completely unknown label to me that covers a wide range of releases and styles.
One of the band’s great strengths is their ability to shift gears beautifully. The album offers a variety of songs, so the whole thing never sounds like one long track with a pause for a beer. You get songs with drive and a rock’n’roll catchiness alongside others that bring anger and defiance. Even on the slower tracks, the band knows how to maintain the atmosphere, as on Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet or Lying Like A Rat. At the same time, they can change direction in an instant, like on Those Days, where I suddenly hear echoes of the old Dropkick Murphys. All the songs, however, come from the perspective of the British working class and its problems. At times you get more melodic lines backed by powerful vocals, sometimes the band dives deeper into hardcore punk, and elsewhere their feel for Oi! comes to the surface. You can hear that this is a UK band, because they blend all these influences into their music in a completely natural and effortless way. I should also mention that Paul Bearer from Sheer Terror guests on the final track.
The Chisel are currently one of the most interesting bands on the scene, and I really like their attitude of being ordinary guys from the neighbourhood who deal with the same things as you do. Greedy politicians, poor job opportunities, rising living costs, street-level frustration and a bratty defiance of the modern world. No fucking nostalgia or sentimental longing for the good old days that never existed. The band sticks to its working-class stance and calls out everyone who tries to put obstacles in our way. When I was thinking about which songs I like the most, I realised that every time I listen to the album I’m in the mood for something slightly different, and a different part of the record grabs me each time. To me, that’s a sign of a rich and rewarding release. The Chisel take the foundations laid down by the Oi!/punk genre and reshape them in their own way, which reminds me somewhat of their Canadian counterparts Beton Armé, who do something similar, but obviously with their own musical approach.
So far, I’ve had the chance to see The Chisel live twice, and I can confirm that what the band can do on record, they can do on stage just as well. Great shows, entertaining sets and energy – that’s what makes this band so good. Their second album is a lot of fun, and even after countless listens, it still doesn’t feel the slightest bit monotonous. I still enjoy it, and I keep finding something that pulls me back for another spin.
On top of that, this band isn’t fucking around. They crammed a total of sixteen songs onto the album, which is more than a decent amount of material – enough for some projects to turn into two albums, two EPs and sixty social media posts. Not The Chisel. The Chisel don’t give a shit about that.
Be like The Chisel. And get yourself a copy of this record, because it’s fucking great.
TOP TRACKS: Cry Your Eyes Out, Cuts Like A Knife, What Do You Mean
