CoC : A Venomous Concept - Retroactive Abortion : Review

A Venomous Concept - _Retroactive Abortion_
(Ipecac Records, 2004)
by: Jackie Smit (8.5 out of 10)

Considering the frequency at which the term "supergroup" gets bandied about these days, you'd almost be pressed to assume that half of what hits the shelves these days comes courtesy of a veritable powerhouse of consolidated musical talent. Of course, experience has taught us that the so-called "supergroup" very rarely amounts to more than a self-indulgent vanity project; healthy, even necessary escapist fun for its creators -- tedious drivel for the paying consumer. That said, a band boasting the likes of Kevin Sharpe, Shane Embury and Buzz Osbourne would have needed to indulge in some truly overblown glue-sniffing to have made a mess of this. _Retroactive Abortion_, unsurprisingly, is a very clear-cut serving of raw, raucuous grind-punk -- the likes of which very rarely gets done right these days. Short, sharp and to the point, tracks like "Monkey See Monkey Beat" and "Rhetoric" combine just the right amount of aggression, intellect and tongue-in-cheek humour to make the album effective without being overindulgent. One can only hope that this isn't the last we've seen of the self-described "most handsome band in punk".

Contact: http://www.venomousconcept.com

(article published 22/2/2005)