Review / 200 Words Or Less
Sirhan Sirhan
Blood

Anodyne (2008) Tyler

Sirhan Sirhan – Blood cover artwork
Sirhan Sirhan – Blood — Anodyne, 2008

Sirhan Sirhan plays groovy hardcore punk with a bit of a noise rock bent and maybe even some of that vintage rock 'n' roll vibe from The Bronx's early work, but with a much heftier guitar sound and harsher vocals.

This album doesn't really have a whole lot in common with what would traditionally be considered hardcore except for being pissed off. But I can understand the Black Flag and Bad Brains comparisons because in keeping with the attitude of those bands, Sirhan Sirhan is scatter-brained, emotionally intense, and doesn't care who it pisses off or what other genres it hijacks.

Comprised of eleven short songs crammed into a half hour, Blood is a fast, old-school hardcore album when it wants to be (see "Decapitate/Disintegrate" and the title-track), but otherwise falls under the category of chunkier, mid-paced punk like Amen, with a slight metallic edge. While Sirhan Sirhan is kind of a summation of punk rock's nearly forty-year history, the band's originality lies in the eclecticism of the sub-genres referenced, and there's enough attitude and anger involved to make it believable.

7.8 / 10Tyler • August 26, 2009

Sirhan Sirhan – Blood cover artwork
Sirhan Sirhan – Blood — Anodyne, 2008

Recently-posted album reviews

Circuit des Yeux

Halo On The Inside
Matador (2025)

Haley Fohr's artistic vehicle, Circuit des Yeux, defies categorisation. Stamping the indie folk label on her was superficial, something dispelled easily once you have experienced the lo-fi distortion of "The Girl With No Name." It might be that under the layers of sonic disfigurement, a folk ethos is present in Fohr's narrative sensibility, but it is no longer the same. … Read more

ZEPHR

Past Lives
Dumb Ghost, Snappy Little Numbers (2025)

Sometimes you can just hear the passion in a voice. ZEPHR is one of those bands. They defy convention a little bit, in that I associate gravelly voices with harsher, heavier sounds, but ZEPHR use sore-throat vocals to great effect with midtempo, emotional and melodic 3-chord chugging punk rock and some DC sound. In few words, it's raw, both musically … Read more

Kreiviskai

Motinai
Infinite Fog Productions (2025)

Kreiviskai's origins are deeply rooted in the neofolk sound and ethos. Their debut record, Zemmis : supnãi, focuses on the musical lineage of Tver, embracing the traditional instrumentation to produce a somber and moving piece. Their follow-up record, Nonregnum expands outward, focusing on various historical events and introducing further influences. The pull of neo-classical is palpable, while the abrasive industrial … Read more