The thing about Punk music is that it can reach anybody from whatever walk of life. Much like Metal, it's capable of appealing to businessmen and angst adolescents at the same time. These two prototypes of people may be very different, but when they get in the pit, they put all their physical differences aside and become the same person. That's the beauty of heavy music. We let the beat overtake everything else. Here in Malaysia, the same thing applies. And to keep the legacy chugging, WEOT SKAM, a quartet of skateboarding-loving and Hardcore Punk-exalting Penang-ites released their latest full-length, "Six Pack Tsunami Attack".

WEOT SKAM is one of Malaysia's longest running Hardcore Punk bands, formed in 2002, with no lineup-hiccups along the way and a steady belt of records under their name. But the most special thing about WEOT SKAM is their ability to incorporate the sensibilities of Heavy Metal into their otherwise straightforward Hardcore Punk sound, giving their records a stark niche quality that pits them against the best from both genres. From the get-go, the band releases a relentless pounding of sound and raw nihilism from track one to track eleven. The barrage of guitars, bass, drums, and vocals assaulting your system is one of the best experiences Hardcore Punk can ever offer. Perhaps that's the quality of the genre that makes it so endearing to its fans - the music has an escapist factor to it wherein you turn up the music and its pure viciousness is enough to make you forget your troubles.

But here's where WEOT SKAM set themselves apart from every other Hardcore Punk act. They throw in some bluesy lead guitar work and cap it off with full-on Jimi Hendrix-type solos - propelling the listener to a musical realm that is both emotional yet technical. With most Punk bands, this is an extremely rare quality. It's not every day that you find a band with the built-in angst and character of THE SEX PISTOLS with the furious energy of BLACK FLAG, fusing their prime Hardcore Punk sound with some serious BAD COMPANY guitaring. I mean, does it get any more in-your-face?

And speaking of in-your-face, WEOT SKAM truly brings back old school with their lyrics, which are uncannily brief for a modern Punk band, yet still strangely poignant. Back in the day with bands like MINOR THREAT, CIRCLE JERKS, and BAD BRAINS, you had the most snarky, cynical, and controversial lyrics spat at you. Weirdly enough, these "snarky, cynical, controversial" lyrics tended to have very sharp political messages behind them about society, culture, and the world as it is. These days, many modern bands are unable to pull this off, with more lofty pretentions than effective messages. WEOT SKAM doesn't fall into that group. They are in line with the original purpose of Hardcore Punk: to disseminate satire about the most fucked up situations humans find themselves in.

Hardcore bands are supposed to be relevant. With diatribe churned out like spitfire, WEOT SKAM is definitely relevant in an increasingly urban and fast-paced world. As a final note, allow me to commend the cover artwork done by American cult artist Adam Geyer. Something about its nonsensical artistry with undertones of philosophy is greatly applicable to the music of WEOT SKAM, which is as blisteringly Punk as you can get yet soulful and musical at the same time. If you have a thing for "classy Hardcore Punk" (which must be the first of its kind), Six Pack Tsunami Attack will be the record that does it for you.