BLASTMAT – Broke Life, Working Class CD Review

BLASTMAT – Broke Life, Working Class (2015)
United Riot Records American Oi! Zine

Connecticut hardcore veterans BLASTMAT, featuring Forced Reality’s Joe Nettleton on drums, are back! Six years after the band’s last effort, the “National Policy” CD, these CT hooligans present their United Riot Records debut in the form of “Broke Life, Working Class”, featuring nine tracks of crossover mayhem!

Therefor I guess BLASTMAT is one of those bands you either love or hate these days. Although their latest work is definitely a little less crossover than the band’s old stuff, BLASTMAT still mixes various styles of underground noise on “Broke Life, Working Class”. For an album that barely lasts 21 minutes that will either daze you in confusion, or knock you out in excitement! I will count myself to that last batch of people, because the mix of influences by bands like Stormtroopers Of Death, Warzone and Forced Reality is banging and all falls pretty good together on “Broke Life, Working Class”!

An easier comparison is of course to mention that BLASTMAT pretty much goes through every phase Agnostic Front has been through in their career… on a single record! The main attraction is the raging hardcore-punk, but with your mid-tempo Oi! stomper and a thrashed out headbanger here and there BLASTMAT still hangs on to their musical roots, topped off with a working class, anti-social, heavy drinkin’, fuck you attitude!

“Broke Life, Working Class” is short, fast, furious and unfortunately only available on CD, though I reckon the music in combination with the nicely drawn artwork would make a cool 10” as well. Maybe someday…WWW.UNITEDRIOTRECORDS.COM