Typically, I don’t talk about religion. Not that I’m anti-religion, it just doesn’t play any particular role in my life. You know why? Because I didn’t grow up in Salt Lake City, Utah, like this band did. Let me introduce you to SUBURBAN HELL KILL. And they describe their name as “Not just a band, but a mission statement.” as well.
Formed in 2016 and recently signed to Mystic Records, SHK is taking the local punk scene by storm. Fueled by religious oppression, this band helps give me an understanding why they, alongside bands like CHOKING VICTIM, like to decorate their album covers with upside down crosses and Pentagrams all over the place. I really took a liking to this band because they were able to be catchy and not lose the whole danger element that this band was based on. The first song off their new release, “Jesus Was a Nihilist”, is called “In a Perfect World”. It starts out with a fitting clip from the movie, SLC PUNK. Josh Leland sings a catchy tune about fellow anarchists living in a world free of restrictions, even at the cost of destruction and revolution. These guys definitely bring the danger back to punk rock as far as far as 2019 goes. They reignite the whole “squatter punk” vibe of CHOKING VICTIM, but with much less ska. Fast riffs and catchy choruses about religious hypocrisy, dismantling the American authoritarian infrastructure, and other such pleasantries, are what you can expect from this album.
In the next song, “Dead Leaves / Broken Dreams”, project mastermind Josh Leland pours his heart out and opens up about his struggles with addiction. The song is super catchy in riffs as well as vocals. Josh’s voice is slightly poppy, but scratchy, gritty and punk as f@$k as well. Josh describes himself a major fuckup when he sang “Self-Destruction was my only weapon” about his dark past. I’m very glad that he’s seemed to mainly shift his focus these days from destruction and self-hatred to punk, anarchy, and Satan! “DC In Flames”, is my favorite track on the album. And basically, for all the same reasons described above. This song incorporates everything well. lyrics of corrupt systems and rioting in the streets blend well with the fast, gritty tone of this song.
I asked Josh to talk about the songs on this album for a TRACK BY TRACK for our friends at IDIOTEQ and here is what he had to say.
IN A PERFECT WORLD
In A Perfect World is an anthem for the anarchists, the free-thinkers and the non-conformists. It’s a song about always being yourself, and ALWAYS doing whatever the fuck you want, regardless of what society, trends, anything or anyone, other than your true self, says you should do.
DEAD LEAVES/ BROKEN DREAMS
Dead Leaves is a song about using self-destruction as a weapon to combat inner turmoil. And by self-destruction, I mean heroin addiction, which ultimately causes more and more inner turmoil in the end. Addiction is a vicious fucking cycle and has made my life HELL!! And yeah, that’s what that song is about. Ha-ha!
DC IN FLAMES
DC In Flames is basically about the people of this nation over throwing our government and taking our country back. But also, by going to the most violent and extreme of measures in order to do so.
