Cult Maniax

Reviews

Cult Maniax Where Do We All Go 12″

Clean live recording of the CULT MANIAX at their finest. Powerful Britpunk with crisp vocals in a chanting form. If you haven’t heard them before, they’re not thrash, just tight melodic aggression. But this live recording is too much; great sound.

Cult Maniax The Amazing Adventures of Johnny the Duck and the Bath Time Blues 12″

The title track of this five-track EP is a sedate dose of riffy funnypunk, but the only song here that shows any life is the fast rocker “Maniax.” While the compositions on this 12″ delve into a Brit-punk style of a less-than-generic sort, I found myself pining for the CULT MANIAX of a long time ago. Tiresome.

Cult Maniax Full of Spunk EP

This three-track EP of mid-tempo British punk delivers little in the way of excitement or clever songwriting. “Psycho Rocker” has some diverting power-chord progressions, but the other compositions are strictly routine stuff. The lyrics, too, are pretty lightweight, as they primarily satirize old youth fads.

Cult Maniax American Dream / Black Mass 7″

This CULT MANIAX 45 is hard to get ahold of, and it reflects the musical transition they underwent between their fantastic “Blitz” 7″ and their album. “American Dream” is a mid-tempo punker with their usual high-pitched singing and some post-punky frills; the overly long flip is more measured and psychedelicized.

Cult Maniax Cold Love LP

On their debut album, the CULT MANIAX seem to be veering toward a slicker post-punkish sound, though the guitars are still loud and punky. Most of the material here is slow- to mid-tempo, but there are enough good hooks to keep you listening, and there are re-recordings of some of their old chestnuts. The singer’s voice is quite a bit like that of T.O.H.’s Kirk Branden. An uneven release.

Cult Maniax Blitz / Lucy Love 7″

The second 7″ from this lot. Both tracks are in the medium-paced Britpunk style, but “Blitz” is a really superb song. The combination of a great sing-along chorus, drill-press guitar, and interesting lyrics make it a mini-classic. The flip is faster, less memorable, and rather dumb.