It feels like it’s been a long time since Swashbuckle’s last album back in 2010, but 2014 has marked their triumphant return with their EP We Hate The Sea. Four tracks of good-old thrash we’ve come to expect from the band, this is exactly what good music is all about. One of the best things about Swashbuckle is that although they perhaps don’t always take themselves seriously, they always consistently deliver top-notch music and We Hate The Sea is no exception to this.
Beer Goggles is the perfect opener to the release – it’s an already-familiar song the band released as a demo a while back and it’s a strong start before the band powers directly into the title track, I Hate The Sea (And Everything In It). At just over a minute in duration, Swashbuckle certainly waste no time in getting things moving, practically projecting a wall of noise at the listener from start to finish, which is most excellent to witness. Faces will be melted when this is performed live.
Following track Poopdeck Toilet Wreck keeps up the pace with hammering drums and thrashing guitars with riffs a-plenty, and you’re barely given time to breathe before We Hate The Sea ends on a high with the strongest track of the release, Slaughter On International Waters, where the band have truly gone all-out with one last burst of energy for good measure before leaving you hungry for more as the closing chords ring out.
As a whole, We Hate The Sea showcases Swashbuckle on top form and serves as a great teaser for their future fourth full-length album – it’s a worthy release that’s certainly deserving of the attention of all you filthy landlubbers!
8/10
Preorder We Hate The Sea from here.
