The Bulemics

The Bulemics

Everything one could garner about the Bulemics without hearing their music -- song titles, album title, band title -- would lead to the conclusion that these boys have a penchant for extreme naughtiness, oozing with surfeit self-exaggeration. Bingo. With a goal of keeping the evil in rock & roll, this by-now-veteran Austin punk rock quintet upchuck their fourth full-length, the aptly named Soundtrack to the Apocalypse. Like their previous releases, these 14 songs add up to a half-hour's worth of ear punishing goodness, full of booze-fueled mayhem. Using profanity the way most of us use verbs, the energy and straight-razor playing is constant throughout. "The Corruptor," which starts with a psychedelically morphed music box melody, is soon bashed to hell by power chords and lyrics like, "I'll show you things your parents don't want you to see," then finishes with a suitable Spinal Tap ending. "Diary of a Whore" has, dare I say, a Van Halen swagger? And "The World's Spinning Faster" possesses a punch-to-the-kidneys wall of sound that's chaotic, yet taut and punctuated. The Bulemics may be loud and fast and wild, but underneath, they actually can play. Punks will be tumescent after getting their idle hands on this new release, especially after hearing the two secret tracks, the first featuring Antiseen vocalist Jeff Clayton. Puerile? Sure. Loud, fast, and nasty? You betcha. A kick in the head? Undoubtedly. But this Soundtrack puts the rock back in rock & roll.