NOi!se - "This Is Who We Are" (American Oi! on ''Contra Records'' in 2011)

NOi!SE - "THIS IS WHO WE ARE"
("Contra Records"; 10''):

Whooaaa, I'm really glad that I finally got my hands on this one after I've already missed out on their 7'' single, but this great 10'' by the mighty NOi!SE (one of the most promising bands in American Oi! in particular and Oi! and also Streetpunk music in general, arisen from out of the ashes of the damn good and cool AIRES & GRACES, I think from somewhere near Seattle or so) I now finally call my own. A lot of also really a lot promising potential this Oi! roughnecks hold in store and show it all already here on this one which is (for all what I know) their second proper release at all to date. This beautiful 10'' carries seven songs at all, and each single song really is worth to be called an anthem, period. What they give us is hymnal/anthemic, melodic and Sing-A-Long friendly, yet truly damn hard and heavy, angry stomping and gladiatorial marching American Oi! at its very best with a strong (Punk-) Rock & Roll feeling to and spirit in it, all cultivated with some (very) few DROPKICK MURPHYS styled Boston, MA Streetpunk marks in it and all done really fresh, alive, somehow new and beautiful(ly) clichè-free, so that the thumbs go just way up high. Sharp guitar riffing, damn precise rhythm section work, charismatic clean and really sung vocals (that remind me somehow of Michael Graves, former lead singer of the once almighty THE MISFITS... like Michael Graves doing his vocal duties with passion and heart in an Oi! band, yeahr, that sounds pretty good in words, and even way far better in music, yes, it surely does), clever pace and structure and rhythm arrangements and changes of the songs, nothing gets boring, all is changing in a good way, and there's also a special feeling  to it, as well as an great and intense atmosphere, mighty Sing-A-Long parts and larger than life "Oh oh oh oh!" choirs and back up chants, and all done far away from any Oi! clichè stuff that we all have heard for more than a thousand times already before, nah, this here is fresh and also really outstanding and totally stand-alone stuff (like for example THE BROADSIDERS, even both bands aren't really anyhow comparable except the fact that both bands do play- American- Oi! music and that's also a good proof for how much Oi! has developed and how great it can be done- still... and especially- today), brilliant. Ah, "WHAT HAPPENED TO THE KIDS?" is a 'tribute' to the already mentioned AIRES & GRACES. Great and strong lyrics on top of it, full of power and attitude (like the music, too), a great production sound and all coming in a great artwork and on good old immortal (10'' on top of it) vinyl. So, don't think any longer, just get it, point and fact. Awesome!!! Cheers & Oi! (10 of 10 points)

(http://www.myspace.com/destinycitynoise)