Darkbuster – A Weakness for Spirits / 2006 I Scream Records / 18 Tracks / http://www.darkbuster.net / http://www.iscreamrecords.com / Reviewed 28 July 2006

The style of punk music that Darkbuster plays on “A Weakness for Spirits” should really remind individuals of the middle days of the nineties. Catchy choruses, a full sound, and a heavy reliance on repetition to bring individuals into the band’s fold. Dicky from the Mighty Mighty Bosstones is in this act; it makes sense that a number of tracks on “A Weakness for Spirits” have that same general framework. However, instead of boring listeners to tears by tying “A Weakness for Spirits” to normal track lengths, the songs on “A Weakness for Spirits” bounce around quite often underneath the two-minute mark. All of the tracks on “A Weakness for Spirits” are full; even though songs like “Stand and Deliver” may only get near the minute and a half mark, individuals can feel confident that the band has not skimped on their output.

There is a lot of oi and skinhead influence on this album; a song like “Try To Make It Right” is a more fleshed out oi sound, even down to the no frills vocal style during the track. It is yet another track that shows that Darkbuster is on the top of their games, and can easily be easily put alongside Patriot and Stars and Stripes. Each subsequent track on the disc shows that the band does not fit in one specific cubbyhole; “Rudy” is a track that will please the fans of Rancid in the audience, taking a classic reggae meets ska approach to things.

There is little in the way of cohesion between the songs on “A Weakness for Spiritis”, but the variety of tracks on the album is tied to the variety of influences that these former members of Dropkick Murphys and Mighty Mighty Bosstones bring to the table. Each of the songs is something that could mhave a second life on a punk, rock, or ska music video show; Darkbuster even creates a thrash metal track on “Rise Up”. There is nothing that Darkuster cannot do on this album, and while this is a re-release album, the music that is present is as vital and vibrant as anything that is being released in the current period. Darkbuster is – dare I say it – even better than the bands that Dicky and Ken were in in the past; here’s to hoping that we can be regally assaulted by Darkbuster with a whole new batch of songs sooner rather than later.

Top Tracks: Armageddon Time, Rudy

Rating: 8.4/10

[JMcQ]