Seemed like yesterday I discovered UK based metal/hardcore/crossover/thrash/blast beat Flying Killer Cobs From the Planet Bob, Lawnmower Deth.  Their 1990 debut Ooh Crikey It’s… Lawnmower Deth, on Earache Records is still one of my all time favorite albums.  The band always having a laugh and incorporating humor into their various and eclectic musical styles and influences.  One minute you’re listening to them grind blasting on “Spook Perv Happenings in the Snooker Hall” or then they’re singing about eggs – “Egg Sandwich” or then they go into a completely different direction releasing a punk album in the form of 1994’s Billy.  I was never a fan of that musical direction until recently when I started to go back to their discography and also saw they had a live concert 4 years ago, so I checked out Billy and now I love the damn album.  However; if you were to tell me the band would actually release their long overdue fourth album I would have said You’re a Weeble Wobble and you actually will fall down.

Last year UK’s Dissonance Productions announced the signing of Lawnmower Deth and Blunt Cutters would be released in 2022 and damned if they followed through with it.  The band still retaining their comedic edge – just take a look at the album artwork.  Going for an homage to 1950’s style vinyl releases – it’s rather brilliant.  18 songs in 34 minutes.  The majority of the original band remaining intact except for newbie Chris Billam on drums and thankfully Qualcast Mutilator, the long time vocalist, sounds better than freakin’ ever.

“Into the Pit” begins with some feedback and then a modern sounding guitar sound, still sounding like Lawnmower Deth.  Excellent late 80’s/early 90’s thrashing goin’ on equipped with gang shouting backing vocals.  The shakelton mosh part at the 1.11 section is brutal with some awesome backing ooohh/ahhhs vocals, sounding very ska in nature.  The sound thrashes with an old school Nuclear Assault approach and is excellent.  “I Don’t Want To” is up next with some excellent thrashing and killer vocals.  Then the song rips into a blast beat, before slowing down with the song title being sung as the chorus.  Catchy indeed.  I love their short songs, but they pack so much into the songs.

“Botheration” is up next with excellent guitar riffing with the chorus matching the rhythm section perfectly and a lot of shouting and fun vocals.  This track thrashes hard AF.  “Swarfega” is catchy and at 26 seconds is another one of their fun songs that would not have sounded out of place on their second album Return of the Fabulous Metal Bozo Clowns.

“Bastard Squad” is catchy and anytime the word bastard is repeated multiple times in a song is a home run for me, as well as for Mr. Icky Ficky.  This is one of my favorite songs on the album.  Fun, thrashy and catchy.  “Bobblehead” is another killer and fun song with multiple catchy verses, killer music and I swear, I do not have the liners but this song sounds as if Jello Biafra, from the Dead Kennedys, is laying down some vocals.

“Now He’s a Priest” has a monster main guitar riff.  Really terrific vocal lines and you will notice, at this point, with all the jokes aside Lawnmower Deth have upped the ante with the seriousness of their style and sound.  The music is their most mature sounding album, but the band does not forget their past either, all the while sounding fresh for all the Deth fans.  “Raise Your Snails” is a terrific bastid of a song.  A monster main guitar riff opens this moshtastic song.  Raise Your Snails-Hail, Hail, Hail!!!  If you’re not singing along to this part then just go down to your local corner and go eat a jaggered wedge and play march of the dweebs on your headset.  Anyway the 2.40 part of this track is so catchy with the isolated vocal parts, tones and music.  All catchy and a magnificent bastid of a song.  Raise your pint glass and snails to this song.  It’s one of the best songs the band has ever written.

“Deth! Maim! Kill!” Is yet another killer song.  Ripping in nature with awesome bass guitar lines.  It’s a catchy speed metal song with more excellent vocal patterns and tight AF drumming.  If you’re not picking up change to “Power Bagging” and windmilling the fuck outta your neighbors garage over and over again then you’re just a miserable bastid.  Catchy thrashing moments, excellent groove parts, such as the build up at the 2 minute mark-this part is killer, with some punk parts which have some Billy influence.

Blunt Cutters from Lawnmower Deth is a great album.  The band playing with deliberate conviction and all are in top form, grizzled old veterans of the scene.  The music sounding fresh, however the band incorporating sounds from their previous releases shows the band does not forget its roots, while they remain fun with the lyrical content and some of the lighter and less serious sounding songs.  However, this album is definitely more on the serious side, rather than their first 2 albums.  We get the dizzying speed and thrash metal moments with some blasting moments thrown in, then onto the punk and hardcore leanings, with moments of comedy sprinkled throughout certain sections of the album.  If you’re still not a fan of the Billy album, well again the sound on this I would say if the band never released Billy, then Blunt Cutters would have been the natural successor to Return of the Fabulous Metal Bozo Clowns.  That’s how close to the first 2 albums this is.  I do urge you to go back to Billy-it’s a killer album, all on its own.

Blunt Cutters may wind up being the reunion album of the year when it’s all said and done for 2022.  Get this-it’s so much fun, catchy and Lawnmower Deth are back, ya bastids!

 

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