This crew from San Francisco set off on a European tour at the beginning of 2026 together with The Chisel and Lion’s Law. For the trip they equipped themselves with this compilation, which is now hitting the distro shelves. It’s a collection of older recordings released together on one LP – specifically material from Echoes From The Past, the 2022 mini album; the EP Martyris Victoria from 2023; and songs from the 2020 split EP with Vis Vires. On top of that, the band added a live version of the cover Evil and their main anthem Turn Up The Oi!.
Overall, this is a cross-section compilation that maps the band’s work from the era starting in 2020. Ultra Sect clearly follow the path of “quality over quantity,” and they’ve set the bar pretty high. Musically, their sound draws from Oi!, but it’s also strongly influenced by bovver beat and rock’n’roll. In other words, expect guitar leads, mid-tempo to faster rhythms, plenty of singalongs, and a more modern sound. What I already loved on Sydney Ducks is transformed here into a faster execution and an even stronger inspiration from classic British street rock.
Lyrically, Ultra Sect often draw inspiration from history and a kind of martial poetic imagery, which they place within social themes. The compilation contains twelve songs – ten studio tracks and two live recordings.
The band themselves say they are paying tribute to The Templars, which is also fair to say, though in a slightly more modern version. Where The Templars go for a raw sound, Ultra Sect take a somewhat more modern path. Two guitars allow for more melodic leads and a fuller sound.
We start with the song Public Enemy, which is a call to settle the score, inspired by sweat, dirty working hands, and the march of rulers toward the guillotine. A solid opening. Ride The Storm is a warlike call to raise the sword, and musically it probably evokes the aforementioned The Templars the most for me. The defeat of tyranny, revenge, and raising the morale of the masses are also themes in the title track Lead Us To Glory. More combative anthems follow with Nation On Fire and No Allegiance. Side A closes with the working-class song Bread & Roses. Here it occurs to me that the sense of pride in working-class origins might be a bit different in the USA than in Europe. From my experience, though, it seems that in America this feeling may be more alive today – and perhaps even a bit more genuine. But let’s flip over to side B.
Mad Dog is an absolute burner where guitar solos, the main vocal, and singalong choruses blend together perfectly. Here Oi!, bovver rock, and rock’n’roll become one perfect mixture. This part of the record is probably the most fun for me – it builds momentum through The Strong Survive and Blood Laws all the way to what is (in my opinion) the biggest hit of the entire compilation, Conquer And Divide.
I also enjoy the cover of Evil by 4 Skins. This classic gets a pretty interesting treatment in Ultra Sect’s hands, and at moments it almost feels like it’s being played by a more punk-leaning version of early Blood For Blood. Maybe that’s just my impression created by the raw and energetic live performance of this classic. Even Turn Up The Oi! gains an interesting energy in its live version here, which at times even overshadows the original studio recording. I’m generally not a big fan of live tracks, but in the case of Ultra Sect these versions give their songs an extra kick.
If someone tells you they don’t like Oi! because it’s monotonous, aggressive, and lacks instrumental quality – play them this record. Ultra Sect represent one of the bands that proudly stand behind the Oi! genre while approaching it a bit differently. The result is this excellent music. A perfect record. Once again, I don’t know which three songs to pick as the best. Today I chose the ones listed below – but when I play this record again tomorrow, it might easily be a different three.
TOP TRACKS: Blood Laws,, Conquere And Divide, Ride The Storm
