The Cavemen
Nuke Earth
Slovenly Records
Released 18.04.2018

Sinful and nihilistic, The Cavemen’s Nuke Earth does nothing short of leave its listener as a drooling, reverbed drenched mess. Fans of The Cavemen will be comforted to know that their legendary barbarity remains intact. This record is a 25 minute thrill ride that invokes the untamed nature of Guitar Wolf and the brutality of the Dwarves. Much like their other records, The Cavemen do not disappoint by embodying an unapologetic assault on all that is vanilla and bland in the music world.

Although Nuke Earth treads familiar territory, as always, The Cavemen do what they do well. Top tracks for immediate digestion are “Lust For Evil,” “Batshit Crazy,” “The Night Jimmy Saville Died,” and “Chernobyl Baby”. “Lust For Evil” sets the tones for this record. It’s wrapped in the raw and wild garage punk sounds of impending annihilation. This is a perfect tune to grab your attention thanks to savage guitar riffs and of course Paul Froggatt’s vocals that boast aggression and desperation. This track is a hit, which makes sense as it’s used for their music video accompanying Nuke Earth.

“Batshit Crazy” stands out with the ominous use of an organ. This track has an air of garage revival like something The Makers would have made. However, it’s the kind of track that lures the unexpected into a false sense of security before succumbing to the ravages of an evil spell. A similar tune to ‘Batshit Crazy” is “Concrete Tower.” Like the before mentioned it’s deviously foreboding, but with a science fiction theme and is a bit more catchy. “The Night Jimmy Savile Died” is a rabid tune that begs reference to the controversial Radio Luxembourg DJ Jimmy Savile. This is a party tune for the deranged. It’s a song to thrash about to while banging one’s head. So, play this loud and like The Caveman are probably doing, be sure to crack open a beer when listening.

“Chernobyl Baby” is a radioactive love song for the absurd. It’s the track that could have come from the Ramones but lucky for us is instead freshly produced by the darling lads of The Cavemen. With this one, sing along and bounce around.
Having witnessed their live shows, I find the grooves in Nuke Earth reveal the same kind of energy of being injected with hi-voltage wires and then subsequently being totally blasted out of this world. Nuke Earth is meant for the mad and unkempt. It’s a solid continuation in The Cavemen’s discography of boasting a distinctively primitive garage punk sound.

Above all though, it falls brilliantly in line with a lineage that dates back to The MC5— but minus the politics and with much more lager.

Check it out – https://slovenly.bandcamp.com/album/the-cavemen-nuke-earth-lp

By Nick Kuzmack (DJ Nix Beat)