Four guys from Brooklyn, New York that identify themselves with just the first name apparently, are part of the band CASH BRIBE and they are launching their second EP Escape From New York promising pure hell with a mixture of hardcore punk, thrash and good old rock’n roll. We start the 7 tune album with “Creature Of Consumption”and the guys are all in. Pure hardcore punk violence with a metal base and with a vocal delivery that reminded me of CONVERGE’S singer Jacob Bannon. Forget about understanding the lyrics. We follow with the same energy on the next song, the great “Fossil Master”, and I like what I see here. Desperate vocals and a great heavy background that slips into hard rock territory without any issues. No frills, no solos, just great heavy riffage however. Direct to the point as punk bands should be but with better musicianship in the background. “ICBM” is next and if you do not know what it means, go look on Google like me. All songs start with a dissonant crunchy guitar chord letting the feedback in and once again, pure raw power. The songs are getting more understandable but this is not a bad sign. The band knows how to tame the singer little enough so as not to sound too melodic. This one also has a creative riff at the end from guitar player Kirk.

We reach the midpoint with a tune with the encouraging title “Life Is Devastating``. A great distorted bass riff from bass player Brian introduces us to a slower tempo riff, but the vocals still  with the high energy screams. The song changes to a fast tempo where the vocals get even more desperate and they even dare to throw a guitar solo there. A little on the somber side this one. The next one gives the album its name. “Escape from New York”  is another punch in the face from Kurt Russell.  Great riff and almost hypnotic guitar melody and a vocal delivery as raw as you can handle. The band also has traces of CANCER BATS in their output which is another band I like. The songs are the right size for the style around 3 min, and they manage to crumble a lot of ideas, tempo changes, and a festival of heavy riffs in each one. Staying on the optimistic side, the next tune is “Nothing Good Is Coming” and here we go again with the feedback guitar to start. It gives the impression that they are in the garage and just turned the guitar pedal on to start rehearsals. This one is also punk to the core and even has hints of SEX PISTOLS if Johnny Rotten could really scream.

I also have to give props to the competent drummer Larry (I love these single names!) that starts this one like a crazy machine gun. “Patron Main Master” could be an EXPLOITED song in one of their crazy concerts. Suddenly the song changes completely from pure punk to a heavy metal section. These flavor changes make each tune more enjoyable making the vocal delivery easier to digest. We close this EP with a good bass riff followed by some slide guitar (!?) on “Umbra Master” where they manage to tame the singer Joe even more. This tune sounds like a protest song, or a battle song. The vocal lines are words of order  and the song builds some tension. What I love in this band is the ability to add a total out of the box guitar arrangement in the end bringing the tune to a completely different place.

I cannot finish this review without mentioning the vocalist Joe. The guy has pipes. I would wonder how his voice stays after a gig. There is no technique in this kind of vocal. Just raw punk power and an urgent delivery. Jello Biafra would be proud. It's a good second EP that could use a couple of more songs to make it an album. The band explores the genre well and are creative in their compositions. I look forward to hearing from these New York dudes in the future.