Steele Justice – NeonLight LP (Bearded Punk Records)

Ever stumbled upon an album so good that you suddenly realize it deserves a proper review, even if that album was released four years ago? Well, I do all the time, and NeonLight by Steele Justice is one of those albums that undoubtfully sounds like it was released yesterday. I thought it would be great if I write a couple of lines about it for those who somehow missed this epic release. Steele Justice is a Belgian skate punk quintet emanating from Genk. NeonLight is their debut and only full-length album for now, released on vinyl by Bearded Punk Records in 2017. Besides this full-length, the group released a That Sure Escalated Quickly EP and a couple of singles such as Not Today, That’s The Way The Cookie Crumbles, and Acid Love. Still, their full-length is an unbeatable demonstration of how contemporary skate punk should sound.

Whoever paid closer attention to the Bearded Punk Records catalog soon realized that this label carries only top-notch artists. That’s the case with Steele Justice as well. NeonLight includes fourteen tremendous melodic punk rock anthems, heavily inspired by both old-school nineties and modern skate punk sound. Steele Justice also incorporates notable dosages of melodic hardcore and pop-punk along the way, but these elements are mainly hearable as ear-appealing accentuations. The group unquestionably explores the stalwart, vigorous, dynamic aspect of skate punk music, with a couple of excuses here and there, mainly presented through moderate tempos. These slower moments showcase smaller chunks of pop-punk articulations, but even then, the group keeps it tight as much as possible.

The melodic hardcore side of the group is vividly hearable during the entire album through enormously swift guitar shreds and ultra-speedy rhythmic sequences. Nevertheless, Steele Justice somehow manages to fuse these energetic acrobatics with generous servings of melodies, which are harmoniously implemented into the melodic hardcore foundations of their sound. This material appears like a terrific collection of precisely performed skate-punk tunes, structured and arranged to perfection. For those who’re looking out for a more precise definition of their sound, Steele Justice resembles something that would Kid Dynamite, The Goonies, Satanic Surfers, Venerea, NOFX, Model American, Adhesive eventually record during their careers, but the group keeps their music as fresh as possible. NeonLight comes on pink vinyl and compact disc, so head over to the Bearded Punk Records store and pick up your preferred weapon of choice.