Album Reviews

Oxygen Thief confuses me. For one thing, I really didn’t like the acoustic EP “One Day This Will All Be Fields”, my first encounter with this outfit. The new album starts off acoustic as well and along with Barry Dolan’s UK accent, you’re immediately like ‘oh great, a Frank Turner clone’. Hell, they’re even on the same label, which only adds fuel to the comparison. But then the rest of the band kicks in and suddenly you’re listening to a heavier and grittier version of Hundred Reasons or – to stick with Frank Turner – Million Dead.

These guys sling one riff after another in your face, blurring the lines between metal and angular post-hardcore as they go. With solid lyrics and awesome song titles (“Bench Press Your I.Q.”, “Loch Ness Monster Truck”) to boot, these guys have no problems keeping me interested throughout the entire thing with crunchy riffs that will melt your face off.