This is a band you probably never heard of. Neither of the album. Who are Genianalus? Genianalus are a Norwegian Punk Rock band, formed in 2004. This is, as far as my information goes, the first more major release by the band. Sporting the traditional band setup with bass, guitar, drums and vocals, the band serves the dedicated listener a six-song-Punk package with a lot of old school appeal.
During the first spin, I thought that I got the wrong record. This sounds a lot like late 70s Punk music, from the distortion of the guitars to the vocals. One might have to get used to that first, as that is unfamiliar and unexpected. I mean, would you expect to hear a modern band that sounds like 70s Punk? Well, I sure did not. In a way it's cool, but at the same time it's not. In a way at least. The production is very "old" as well. The sound of the songs can make you wonder if this is really a new band or an EP of some not so known old school Punk band. The instrumentation is accordingly, with simple but effective guitar runs, Punk beat drums and the bass that builds the bridge between the to. What it is in the end is up to the listener, and how he/she decides.
The music might be confused with older music, the lyrics are not necessarily. A quite dominant topic seems to the the Middle East conflict, as song titles like "Plomme I Afganistan", "Unholy War" and "Bagdad Bombers" suggest. This is something I really like though, which is something thta drives me to bands like
Rise Against or
Strike Anywhere: you can tell that the band actually actively witnesses and thinks about the stuff that's going on in the world. That can not be bad. Unfortunately parts of their thoughts are left in the dark to an extend, as it's a bit hard to understand the vocals clearly. A few listenes are needed to really get the exact thoughts.
Around track three this record will probably catch on if you have a heart for Punk like music, and if you are up to old school type of music. Unfortunately, once the music is about to unfold and get you with the simple but effective musicianship (like small guitar solo on "Plomme I Afganistan" or quite interlude on the last track "Bagdad Bombers"), the fun is already over. As the songs are around 3 minutes at the max, this ride is over very soon. Which is a bit sad, as the band definately has the potential to entertain for longer than roughly 15 to 20 minutes.
Overall this record is an interesting modern interpretation of old-school Punk sound. For some that might be a "too true to the roots" interpretation though. In the end, really a matter of taste. The band shows potential to develop further, some more sophisticated songs that better show what the band is capable of on their instruments for example, that would be a nice aspects on future songs. Just to give an example. A good start, but still quite some room to expand.
For the time being, a good and solid 3/5 from me.
