Sickoids are a three piece with members of Witch Hunt and Government Warning, and there are elements of both of these bands to be found in the music on this six track 12-inch, the follow-up to their self-titled LP. That means what you get is a no holds barred attack borne out of the general frustrations of life, be they personal or social, with a virulent tone from start to finish. That tone is built into a sound that encompasses American hardcore and also the U.K.-centric, anarchic scene of the 1980s, thus providing the perfect backdrop for venting annoyance and dissatisfaction–which is there from the beginning with the opening track "Occupy Your Time." This song builds into an all-out assault of guitar, bass and drums representing what Sickoids are all about. On repeated plays what comes through more are the little leads etc. that the guitar adds to this track, to give it more of a broad sound rather than it just being a collection of chords. In fact, there is a lot to be heard going on under the hood when this record is played over and over, and it would be wrong to mark it down as just a thrashy punk release, as it really does benefit from an excellent production job.

The title track is a storming 86 seconds of punk rock with the occasional twist and turn to add interest to the proceedings, in that it is not a straight up and down hardcore thrash bout. For that kind of malarkey, it's the likes of "Delusion" that hit hard and fast with no pussyfooting around, to deliver a sense of mayhem.

Sickoids manage to show that there's more to hardcore than purely playing as fast as possible, and it doesn't take a whole lot to add in some variation that highlights a group of individuals comfortable with ignoring any defined boundaries. Closer "Pull The Plug" (at 3:13, the longest track by a good half a minute here) is an example of these boundaries being pushed and smashed. While it's far from being a unique approach, Sickoids seem to be one of the better bands trying to do this at the moment. For all the hardcore elements of this band/release, perhaps the most impressive thing is that it's possible to discern some melodic moments within the music.

The only problem with this record is that I can't listen to it in work as it's not conducive with sitting at a desk, given it sets my limbs flailing and head nodding furiously, something that distracts others in the office and prevents me achieving much at all. Much better to do all that on the bus to/from work where looking like a lunatic is all part and parcel of public transport!