Punk Rock/Videogame Roundup

Out SOON on Acetate Records is a new album called The Good, the Bad, the Ugly by Sonny Vincent. When I read the sticker on the CD cover that said "Featuring Punk Legends," I have to admit I got a little scared. I mean, come on, people like Scott Asheton, Captain Sensible, Richard Lloyd, Wayne Kramer, Greg Ginn and more–well, it has to suck. And suck it did not. Point of fact, it is the most incredibly rocking punk album I’ve heard in at least a year. Turns out Sonny Vincent is some old-timer who knows his punk rock.

And he knows it inside out. This album rocks you like the Dead Boys, punches you in the gut like the Dwarves, makes your heart race like Zeke and wails like Johnny Thunders. I’m surprised it’s not the hugest hit right now, what with punk rock coming back in and all. Then again, these guys aren’t 12 and do have pubic hair. Probably gray.

Speaking of the punk rock, remember White Zombie and my local faves, the Man Scouts of America? Well, one ex-member from each of those bands went on to form Rock City Morgue, and they got a new self-released CD out called Some Ghouls. And it’s produced by Daniel Rey. And it’s fucking pretty great. And they even do a Rolling Stones cover!

Remember that song on the Repo Man soundtrack about Pablo Picasso never being called an asshole? What if a band did an entire EP/CD of songs that all sounded like that? Yup, it would rule! Girl Harbor’s self-released Shine On is that CD, and all the tunes do sound like that song. Well, except for one. They also sound like Gang of Four and the Stooges. My favorite song here, well, it’s "Boys in Heat." They go!

I just got Rubric Records Sampler #1 CD on Trailer Records (!?!) and it’s quite the rockin’ compilation I thought it would be. I guess with artists like Heroine Sheiks, the Takers, Aytobach Kreisor and Gogol Bordello, how could it not. The rock is played punk here, and we won’t mention the tie to the Knitting Factory.

Victory Records released No Good, No Time, No Pride by River City Rebels and it is good, doesn’t take up too much time and shows punk pride at its best. My favorite tunes here include "Rotten Brain," "Drunken Angel" and "Aborted." Punk rock!

Finally, got another compilation from TKO Records. This one is called Punch Drunk IV and features the likes of Electric Frankenstein, the Generators, the Riffs, Limecell, Cocknoose, the Business and lots more. Like my stepdad Nick would say, "You should buy it for the weight alone." You go, TKO!

For Microsoft’s Xbox comes the long-awaited Panzer Dragoon Orta, published by Sega. This videogame, a sequel to the earlier Panzer Dragoon games, is simply breathtaking in beauty, and rocks like a motherfucker. The premise here is you ride around on a huge dragon blasting the shit out of everything. It’s totally fun and totally addictive. It’s a lot like Star Fox’s Nintendo 64 game, if you’re old enough to remember that, way back when, only a lot more purty!

Out now for Sony’s PlayStation 2 is War of the Monsters, from Incog Inc. In it, you get to trash entire cities, as well as your pals, as you play as a giant monster against another giant monster! Characters include Perytor, a giant preying-mantis monster, Ultra V and Robo-47, giant robots, and even Congar, a King Kong ripoff. I guess they couldn’t get the rights to the real monsters, but who cares? This game is fun, good-looking and actually a lot of fun for kids. And it’s a good history lesson for ’em, too!

After many years of putting up with that sissy Liu from Mortal Kombat, Midway finally kills him in the intro of their newest sequel, called Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, for the PlayStaton 2 and Nintendo GameCube. This game, unlike the others, is a 3-D fighter, and kicks about as much ass as the first Soul Calibur–and that’s a lot! The animations are almost flawless, and the new dudes you get to fight with are fatal. Plus, there’s gallons and gallons of blood, heads being ripped off, brains being smashed, people being sliced and diced and hot chicks in leather pants. I ain’t complaining!