Live Skull – New album ‘Party Zero’ out now

‘Mad Kingship’ was preceded by the heady, psychedelic ‘Hit So Hard‘, the urgent and catchy ‘Neutralize The Outliers‘ and album opener ‘Magic Consciousness‘.

‘Party Zero’ marks the arrival of guitarist Dave Hollinghurst, an electrifying presence helping to push the band in a fresh, new direction. It’s a fiercely political album, in keeping with this politically fierce age. Mark C exclaims: “Desperation inspires us to make art and music. There’s a lot of birth and rebirth, looking for pathways of resistance and promoting the good and trying to fight against evil. I once said we had to start Live Skull because Reagan became president. And we had to restart Live Skull because Trump became president.”

‘Party Zero’ is, undeniably, big in sound, brash in dynamics. But the sophistication that was always the group’s calling card remains an essential element, dealing in the kind of pulverising pell-mell that characterised the 80s New York sound, but also radiant with melody, the fusion of noise and unexpected tunefulness delivering a heady, psychedelic effect. The haunting, echo-laden slow-burn of ‘Turn Up The Static’ acknowledges how wearying permanent resistance can be as a stance and an ethos, while the urgent ‘Neutralize The Outliers’ is an addictive anthem of otherness. This remains protest music of uncanny subtlety and power, with opener ‘Magic Consciousness’ bidding us to “Disengage the false narrative” over chiaroscuro punk-rock. But this is also music possessed of melody and melancholy – closer ‘Hit So Hard’ offers a delirious trip into the darkness, one you’ll find hard to resist. This is timely music, essential, impassioned, angry and beautiful. It’s the sound of Live Skull in the 21st Century, a desperate time that needs heroes like these. “We’ve been pushed to the edge – how do we claw our way back?” asks Mark. “That’s been a common theme in Live Skull since the beginning, and so it is now. We’re trying to provoke thought.”