The Hip Priests are angry as fuck and want you to know about it. The urgency and energy of past albums are intact but leery innuendos and odes to drinkis-and-drugs excess are toned down on their latest long-player, replaced by a seething fury."Cheers to Me", the slightly more measured "Losers of The Fait" and "Robrashness of their assult. ck and Roll Leper" are representative of the band's sound. Nathan Van Cruz sings up a shit-storm on lead vocals with massed macho chorus assistance from the rest of the occupants of the rectory. Or asylum, if you prefer. The propulsive bottom end crew of Lee Love and DP Bomber puts the hot air into the hovercraft, while guitarists Austin Rocket and Silent Mike lay on the pyrotechnics. Austin's times in the lead break spotlight are especially noteworthy. Fucker can play.
Being pummelled relentlessly by all that shouty hectoring could easily get old very quickly, but the abundant energy, sharp guitar-or and strong songs never let the side down. Ballads do not abound. In fact, there are nada. "How Do You Get Off (On Getting Me Down)" backs the pedal off the metal but won't slip onto your iPod's Yacht Rock playlist any time soon. And subtlety? If a tune like "Deja F.U." (as in Fuck You) leaves you in any doubt as to where Hip Priests stand on a range of topics, get thee to a nunnery.
There's not a lot more to say. You'll either embrace the full-throated Rock Action contained in "Stand For Nothing" or you'll be repelled by its brash, sledgehammer-crushing-a-mayfly assault. You might have heard a lot of it before - but they said the same thing about The Captain and Tenile and their ship came in. 
1/4
