Almost eight years to the day, trail-blazing garage pop rockers Ash announced that Twilight Of The Innocents would be their final album and from that point on they’d only release singles. As the quick-witted among you might have already guessed, they recently had a change of heart: thank whatever deity you worship they did, as it’s a resounding return to form for the Downpatrick natives. Perfectly capturing the fizz and fuzz of Ash’s incendiary live show, Kamlammo! strips away some of the electronic influences of recent singles and reboots the band more than somewhat.
Old school fans will be thrilled to learn that some material recalls the scuzzy punk of Trailer. The likes of the unrelentingly catchy ‘Cocoon’ and the Brian Wilson-meets-Rivers Cuomo vibe of ‘Machinery’ are like being punched in the face by a rainbow, while ‘Go Fight Win’ stomps along like Deep Purple’s ‘Space Truckin’’ and is packed with pop hooks and metal guitars. It’s not all about revisiting their early days though, as the instrumental, galloping sci-fi western ‘Evel Knieval’, cowpunk-tinged ‘Shutdown’ and string-laden ballad ‘Moondust’ prove they’ve plenty of new ideas and sounds to explore. Welcome back boys.
KEY TRACK: 'Go Fight Win'