Abductors
“Necroterrestrial”
(Abduction Productions)
The long awaited full-length release from the Abductors has finally landed. Except now I am wondering if the aliens they are always screaming about have abducted them. The opening riff on “Observed” is genius, but it’s the singer’s whimper that makes me want to throw the damn thing out the window. For a band that is not signed to a legitimate label (Abduction Productions is the bands personal label), the album is surprisingly over-produced with little unnecessary echoes and sounds that drown out the cool, raw sound that makes the music alluring. Like any successful team, the Abductors are strong up the middle. The battery of the band is the guitar and drums stomp that guitarist Bantz, and drummer Damian have hammered out after years of playing in bands together. It is the vocal work of singer Alien Ian that drives the ears away from the brilliant music. The actual lyrics are substantial given the fact that the whole alien thing is, well, kind of a fad from the 90’s. On “Invasion” Alien Ian sings: “Ignore it now but soon you’ll see, the universe wasn’t built around humanity” – now that can constitute for ‘lyrics’. These guys have something to say, and a way of getting it across, but it’s easy to see why no major label has picked them up: They’re too cool. They sound (in concert especially) like a band from 1985 that used to play good shows for beer then pass out at El Porto – when South Bay punk rock was SOUTH BAY PUNK ROCK!@##$$%(**. The fact that they stand on their own and don’t have a 401K plan from the punk rock majors is a tip of the hat to these alien kids from El Segundo, Cal.
