Scum of the Earth

Item: Better Late Than Never
Author: Kindred Winecoff

Better Late Than Never

(2000)

Reviewed by Kindred Winecoff

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Label Boot to Head RecordsBandoppler2000

garage rock hardcore hardcore punk punk

I'm not sure if Australia's Scum of the Earth realize it or not, but their name came from a song by British old school punkers The U.K. Subs. Maybe it isn't intentional, because they sound nothing alike, at all, but there is a certain element of down-and-dirty, raw-as-an-Indian arm-burn punk rock sound that they both share. Not punk in the over-commercialized pop sense. Not even in the traditional Elvis Costello "I love my girlfriend" sense. More in the "I hate my girlfriend, and yours too, now let's tear some stuff up" sense. Which, according to the liner notes, has happened quite a bit in reference to this band. Apparently, Scum of the Earth has been around since the early 90s, but Better Late Than Never is their debut CD. If all of this is true, it's long over-due.

Scum of the Earth often degenerate (or expand, depending on your tastes) into hardcore, as on the first track, "Pathetic," but it's always in the traditional vein – as a more aggressive version of punk. "Satisfied" brings us back to the likes of the Germs, with some saxophones added, before breaking into a full-on ska beat, upstrokes and all. "Lock 'Em Up" breaks back into rock, sounding like Bleach-era Nirvana, but with deeper and fuller vocals. "Under a Spell," one of the songs put on the CD as "bonus tracks…from the early days" sounds very much and somewhat surprisingly like the early (and good) Misfits.

The best song on the album is probably "Mars"– a bouncy, messy ride. It's aggressive, a bit dancy, but still raw and sloppy. Once again, the saxophones provide just enough cohesion to keep it all together.

Don't let the liner notes (or me) confuse you. These guys can play their instruments when they want to. They can be fast, and technical, and precise when they need to be. They can be properly messy when necessary as well. And they like curry, a lot.