Reviews

Best not mistake these gents for one of those Irish-punk bands, or someone might find himself in the pit with seven filthy and drunken Scots. It is that Scottish pride and the urge to party that has driven Canada's kilted favorites, The Real McKenzies, to their seventh release (and second with Fat Wreck Chords), Off the Leash.

Longtime fans won't find many surprises here; the band has honed its traditional sound of mixing Bigwig-style hardcore-melodic punk with traditional Scottish bagpipes. The production work is smoother than previous efforts, which actually slightly takes away from the band's messy style, but not enough to kill the deal.

The band does sneak in a few other sounds on Off the Leash, such as a metal/Avenged Sevenfold type growl of "I'm going to get you!" to match a song about the devil in "Chip." It all blends surprisingly well with the band's sound, as do several shredding guitar solos. Paul McKenzie's vocals tell great stories for the most part, but a couple songs are almost stopped dead by awkward phrasings.

"Now I know how it feels for the rat on the wheel to run for the cheese" --"Drink Some More"

Still, the album is driven forward, especially in the first half, by a number of great tracks like the driving, guitar solo-ing "The Lads Who Fought & Won," the stylized and rollicking "The Ballad of Greyfriars Bobby," the old-school punk "Kings of Fife," the slow and melodic "The Maple Trees Remember" and the balls out rockin' "Old Becomes New."

Off the Leash has its problems, but The Real McKenzies have produced another solid offering, with plenty of great tunes that should fit right in with their live repertoire. Simply put, Off the Leash is a hell of a good time.