4 out of 5

Label: Dr. Strange Records

Produced by: Rhythm Collision

While unbridled energy can definitely carry a punk band pretty damn far, having a more robust skillset to promote that energy helps with the “still sounds good today” quotient.

From the Dr. Strange winner’s circle there emerged several such examples of this, one of which was Rhythm Collision, a four piece of tight time signatures, the ability to spice up their three-chording with smart breakdowns, and a vocalist who didn’t sound like a whiny kid, with the dash-of-intelligence lyrics to match.  Their (relative) breakout album Clobberer! may not catch the eyes or ears of non-genre fans, what with the very 90s-punk hand drawn art and the general lyrical theme of be-yerself-we’re-all-freaks, but if you’re so inclined, as soon as things kick off it’s clear you’re hearing a band with a bit more than the norm to offer.

The crisp drumming is forever a highlight, built off of when the group gets to some downright pummeling bridges and end-song thrashes.  Some repetition inevitably creeps up, especially toward disc’s end, but that’s where you can fall back on pure energy, which the group brings in spades.