Little Villains – Battle of Britain
Little Villains – Battle of Britain
Spira Records
Release Date: 15/09/22
Running Time: 35:00
Review by Paul Hutchings
6/10
Way back two decades ago, a chance meeting between Phil ‘Philthy animal’ Taylor and James Childs in an electronic store in L.A. led to the formation of Little Villains. After Taylor’s death in 2019, the band’s first album “Philthy Lies” was released. Scroll forward three years and we are now looking into the whites of Little Villains’ fourth studio release “Battle of Britain”.
It’s an album that takes you back to a time when raw power counted for more than polished production. It deserves to be played loud. The riffs are plentiful, the compositions at times rudimentary. ‘Butcher Bird’ for example, is basic, vocally ropey, but still quite compelling. Opening track ‘Messerschmidt’ was one of the first singles, along with ‘Spitfire’ and ‘Watching You’. They all have enough to be enjoyable without blowing you away.
The tracks are short, fast and with a Punk-tinged hue. ‘Mush’ hammers away, a pounding drumbeat propelling a semi-Desert Rock Queens of the Stone Age instrumental which is irresistible to tap along to. ‘In His Blood’ discloses the vocal limitations, although the Maiden style harmonies distract. ‘Words of Insanity’ pinches more than a soupcon of ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ and the two-minute ‘Boy-Next-Door’ is a pogo stomp throwaway.
It’s probably the two aircraft themed songs that bookend the album that work best. ‘Messerschmidt’ with its marching intro and effects conjures up images of the German war machine’s most effective fighter whilst ‘Spitfire’ genuinely emits the heart of old school Motörhead, with its high tempo riffs and manic drumming pushing everything along at pace.
My main question is where you go with this album. It’s okay, rough, ready, and enjoyable, despite some rather tired and predictable German accents on the final song. An amusing listen or two, but I’m unlikely to be running to the nearest store or online emporium to pick up a copy.
‘Messerschmitt’ Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Messerschmitt
02. Crying Out for More
03. Butcher Bird
04. Mush
05. In His Blood
06. Words of Insanity
07. Boy Next-Door
08. The Last
09. Watching You
10. Spitfire
LINE-UP:
James Childs – Vocals, Bass
Owen Childs – Guitar
Chris Fielden – Drums
Guest appearances by Nick Davidge (Guitar, Vocals, and Simon Hedges – Bass)
LINKS:
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