HOUR OF THE WOLF

Rarely has 10 minutes of running time been so righteously rocking, infectiously tuneful, and still properly punk. "Obsolete" is a blast on a number of levels, but primarily because Prescott, AZ's HOUR OF THE WOLF have not only located that elusive middle ground at which the furious meets the catchy (without turning into a pop punk exercise in gum chewing),but have also wrung out every last drop of it on this far too brief EP.

Working our way through the disc then, the joint gets rippin' with "Faith in Fiction", which features a rolling fuzzed out, stoner groove that is reinterpreted through a punk filter with a driving MISFITS beat, call-and-response vocal, and big 'ole hook, followed by another hooky, up-tempo toe-tapper called "Age of Nothing" that lands with a thinner 'FITS vibe and surf's up leads. "Heart Failure" is a slammin' rocker that still infects, just not as much as the title track, yet both kill with quickness and passion. And AGENT ORANGES' "Bloodstains". Are you kidding? Given the reinvigorating HOUR OF THE WOLF treatment, the approach is just as homicidally addictive. The album rounds out with perhaps its best song, one that is resoundingly nasty in true punk fashion, yet supremely catchy as well, complete with lead guitar elements that one might describe as rather pulped up in a B-movie sort of way.

So why am I not surprised to hear or see little in the way of exposure for HOUR OF THE WOLF's "Obsolete", when far lesser, decidedly fraudulent imitations of punk rock are impaled with the stake of hyperbole and pass themselves off as though they weren't actually sitting in piles of their own steaming dung when punk's master class ruled the roost? That's called getting carried away, possibly giving one the impression that "Obsolete" is an all-time classic. It's not. It's just a kick-ass 'n catchy hardcore punk album.