Adolescents – Russian Spider Dump LP (Cleopatra Records)

Adolescents are back with their latest offering to the broader auditorium. Besides Agent Orange and Social Distortion, this legendary Fullerton-based hardcore punk band was one of the principal acts that emerged from Orange County, California during the eighties. Since their formation in 1980, the group went through constant breakups and lineup changes. However, Adolescents somehow achieved to record an impressive amount of full-length albums, singles, and extended plays, with a debut album being a hardcore punk essential soundtrack for forthcoming generations of punk rockers. Forty years later, the group is pretty much active by touring across the globe and delivering great recordings without being pretentious and repetitive.

Russian Spider Dump proves that Adolescents are still a relevant band as they were four decades ago. The album consists of the covers by Redd Kross, The Germs, The Dils, Dickies, Spirit…plus a lot more, entirely performed in a Adolescents manner. This particular material mocks up the current political climate in the States, Trump’s administration, discusses global politics, unfortunate events caused by the men in power, questions authorities, and offers their opinions and personal stances about it. The band illustrates the decline of contemporary society through loads of intelligence, sarcasm, and humor. Besides politics, lyrics are also covering some common themes, such as are human relations, friendships, various situations, and circumstances. The band paid a lot of attention to the selection of the songs that will appear on this cover album.

Judging about the musical appearance, Adolescents are following some of the basics they became known for throughout the years, but the group also incorporates some melodic progressions along the way. Adolescents are leaning towards recognizable articulations characteristic for the eighties hardcore punk era, decorated with powerful guitar shreds and dynamic rhythmical sequences. This particular material grasps more aggression, fury, energy than their preceding recordings, empowered by the most advanced production technics. Still, the guitars are bursting with occasional harmonies, appealing polyphonous segments, and simplistic guitar solos that are offering a more melodic approach to their widely recognizable sound. Russian Spider Dump serves as a perfect skateboarding soundtrack mainly because of the sheer energy, fully stacked somewhere beneath compelling old school hardcore compositions.

An impressive illustration of a giant spider attempting to take the dump over the White House demonstrates personal thoughts of band members about the political climate in the States. Just like on their previous recordings, this artwork is marvelously done by Mario Riviere, who’s been working with the band since The Fastest Kid Alive LP. Russian Spider Dump comes on a limited edition green vinyl and compact disc by Cleopatra Records, but you can also stream the entire album on Spotify. Russian Spider Dump will be a special treat for a longtime fans of old school hardcore punk music. Make sure to check it out!