The October File - Holy Armour From The Jaws Of God - 04.06.07

October File’s sophomore kicks in like a size twelve Doc Martens hoofed straight into the bread basket, new sticksman John Watt adding extra weight to an already beefy Black Flag tinged attack. But it’s when vocalist Ben Hollyer opens his maniacal barking maw that the band really come alive, and when occasionally dabbling with some deranged spoken word, they simply sound possessed.

Regurgitating elements of Killing Joke (Jaz Coleman himself guesting) results in a modernistic spew seemingly all of their own. October File are an intense, ballsy, anger fuelled affair, but who manage to adopt a kind of honesty and cool anti-kitsch, highlighted best during ‘High Octane Climate Changer’, ‘In My Magnificent Circus’, and ‘So Poor’.

And with a bright, but raw enough sounding production for what they’re attempting, it would seem October File have done themselves some favours second time around.


Verdict :

JIM BURT