Hailing from the picturesque Old Town neighbourhood in Oslo comes one of the most aggressive and irreverent bands of recent years. Kosmik Boogie Tribe have arrived with the intention of taking the Oslo music scene head on. They call their music “degenerate and dirty rock n’ roll” and with an album title like We’re Not Here to Fuck Spiders, one is inclined to agree with them.
We’re Not Here to Fuck Spiders follows their 2016 LP Suck More Piss and stays true to the fast and heavy format. “Creatures of Habit” opens the album to thunderous rock and roll. Subscribing to the simplicity of three chords and the 12-bar blues, KBT attack their instruments with all the hostility tracks titled Optical Migraine and Piss, Punk and Pie would imply. The blues sound is so distinct that were it not for growling vocals you would think you were listening to an old Status Quo record at double speed.
The bellowing drums, roaring guitars and screaming lyrics make it one of the heavier rock albums in recent months. The blues beats keep the band from falling into metal or punk genres. Punk in attitude but not in sound, this is pure unadulterated rock and roll. If Jackass were still in production, KBT would not be out of place on the soundtrack.
There are moments of genuinely impressive musical ability sprinkled throughout the album, like a somewhat sudden Jimmy Page cover at the end of I’ve Had Enough of You. Or the guitar solo and subsequent instrumental outro of Pablo Was Here. One could picture bandmates standing back, downing their beers in awe of Eirik Melstrøm’s solo. It’s a shame the lyrics are not as remarkable.
We’re Not Here to Fuck Spiders is a hardcore album that never loses sight of rock and roll’s blues roots. An album to move to, Kosmik Boogie Tribe offer a number of tracks that are guaranteed to appeal to rock and roll fans, so long as they don’t pay too much attention to the lyrics.