Detonators "Balls To You" CD
News From Nowhere - Hardworking, long-running, prolific and vastly underrated.
That sums up the career of the Detonators, who began in California in the mid-1980s (where punk was huge) but
inexplicably decided to move to Eugene, Oregon (where punk was nearly non-existent.) Who knows, maybe they wanted a challenge.
Maybe they would have been very popular if they'd stayed in California. Maybe they didn't want to be popular.
Like I said, who knows? In any event, the Detonators made a lot of great records.
The band considers the 1988 "Balls To You" album their best effort, and I stand in agreement.
The Detonators hand-crafted fine, memorable punk rock tunes with a hardcore flair, much in the tradition of
D.O.A., Toxic Reasons, Social Unrest and the Canadian Subhumans.
Strong guitar riffs and simple vocal lines are the Detonators' bread and butter, yet each song is uniquely its own.
There is no cookie-cutter workmanship here.
You get the feeling they really put some effort into making good songs and not repeating themselves musically.
They also knew enough not to sacrifice songwriting for speed.
I'm not saying these songs are slow -- they are all played at just the right speed, what some might call upper-mid tempo.
Had they been played too fast, they'd lose some of the catchiness. The vocals are gruff, but have a certain cadence that keeps the songs jogging along.
Imagine the singer of Capitol Punishment with a bit more range and sensibility.
I really love hardcore/punk of this flavor.
This is perfect music for driving, skating, skanking or perhaps dusting your bedroom.
This reminds me of Agent 86, another very good and overlooked Oregon band. Very well done and thoroughly enjoyable.
I would also like to point out that the band reissued this on their own and are selling it very cheaply.
Punk.
(BS)