Punk rock explosives specialists The U.S. Bombs have accepted a new musical assignment for 2003 and it’s called Covert Action. Boasting the head knockin’ first single “Roll Around,” plus anthems like “Shot Down” and “Youth Goes,” this disc – their fourth for Hellcat – instantly yanks you by the collar.
Extolling the virtues of classic punk, where razor sharp riffs cut ardent rants into little sticks of musical dynamite, the Duane Peters-steered U.S. Bombs are a boulder of truth and authenticity in a sea of slick poseur sewage. “I don’t give two fucks what anybody thinks,” Peters barks. “We’re real punk rockers.”
At a time where the genre is littered with dumb songs about cars, girls and bong hits, that declaration is a fact. Politically informed, the streetwise and outspoken punks in The U.S. Bombs use their microphones, guitars and drums like an anti-establishment battering ram. “I choose not to be asleep,” Duane proclaims. “I’m not content on trading in my rights as an individual for safety like the rest of the useless eaters in this country.”
”Framed,” for instance, takes a distinctive look at the Oklahoma Bombing and points the finger back at the government. “I’ve done my research,” says Peters, who thinks outside the box on subjects like Waco, Ruby Ridge and 9/11. “If people get offended, it just shows how easily they are manipulated into believing whatever they’re told.”
Voicing his disdain for the ruling class on “John Gotti,” which suggests that the Mob would have better success running the White House, before railing against experimental science on “Lab Rats,” Peters’ penchant for free thought is never alone. Augmenting such incendiary messages, the rest of the Bombs detonate in the recording studio. Machine gun guitar chords fire away in dual attack mode courtesy of founding member Kerry Martinez and newcomer Curt Gove (on loan from Les Stitches). In tandem, veteran member Wade Walston unleashes rock bottom bass lines as fresh faced kit man Jamie Reidling beats out cracking drum rolls.
Not just politically valiant, The U.S. Bombs exhibit an impressive musical courage and depth on Covert Action. Reviving the classic formula of 1980s hardcore on “Art Kills” and then detouring into the ska-flavored territory of “The Gow” before assuming a new style with effortless beauty – as they do on the Latin-flavored instrumental “Phil Spectator” – these Bombs never fizzle.
That spirit carries over into everything about Duane Peters. A skateboarding legend and the first man to ever complete a loop in a full pipe, the singer also finds time to run his own label, Disaster Records, produce other punk bands and keep up on history, conspiracies and current events. “I just stay busy, playing catch up for all the years I wasted away almost being your standard punk rock statistic,” he explains. “Remember, the Government wants you strung out and drunk. The C.I.A. agents all have nice houses and bank accounts because we need the weed and all the mind numbing shit they bring in to keep us down and controllable.”