Cigarette Machine

On the tail of their breakout second LP 'Midnight Passenger', Memphis-based punk cyclone Ex-Cult delivers a brand new batch of bruisers. Chris Shaw lends a sneering, spitting toughness to the proceedings while the band flays riffs in loose, hairy, mosh-inducing menace behind him, touching on post-punk, psych sprawl and early-'80s hardcore while remaining beholden to none. They have the power to convert even the most jaded and bored concertgoer into a sweaty mess in the pit. Punks, skate rats, scenesters, skinheads, hardcore kids, druggies - so many disparate groups dig this band it's like an MRR cartoon waiting to happen. The adrenal-enhancers on 'Cigarette Machine' are road warriors already, having been honed on the band's recent tour that no doubt laid waste to a town nearby. The only problem with this sterling batch of sluggers is that it's over too quick.