Max Raptor have always had an interesting sound. Something about them that screams of classic British punk bands. At times sounding like Gallows fronted by Frank Turner, it was 2013’s Mother’s Ruin that really piqued the attention, with its Billy Talent swagger and bounce to it, and a dark, hard edge.
But fast-forward to 2016, a new record deal with Hassle Records sees the release of this self-titled, 12 track album.
While Max Raptor have always written catchy, accessible punk rock, ‘Max Raptor’ feels somewhat neutered. It’s had the thorn ripped out of it, losing a lot of the groove and darkness that made them stand out. The songs aren’t bad, they just feel lacking in bite. The visceral, snotty side to Max Raptor that balanced the groove to their songs has wilted – making a 12 song record feel very long indeed.
Songs like ‘Old Romantics’ have a great pace to then, but it sounds like something Hundred Reasons would have released in 2005, and ‘When I Was A Gentleman’ combines an unoriginal riff with almost predictable gang vocals. Don’t get us wrong, though, ‘Torch Led’ is a stronger moment – a fierce, sub three minute slice of punk rawness.
‘Max Raptor’ isn’t a bad record, it just balances really good songs with distinctly average ones, so it struggles to retain your attention for the duration. The one-two of ‘Big Divide’, with its thick, syrupy chorus and sing along vocals, into the savage ‘Concrete’, works superbly and plays on a tried and tested slow/fast dynamic.
2015’s ‘Damage Appreciation’ EP was a good sign of what to expect from this record, but it feels like this wasn’t capitalised on for ‘Max Raptor’. For every good moment, there’s something that ever so slightly disappoints, and overall that leaves a disjointed sounding record that only frustrates, because we’re aware of this band’s ability to write fantastic punk rock tracks with a classic British bite to it.
CHRIS ROBINSON