This came out in 2001 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
They want a riot. A riot of their own. A 21st-century riot, to be exact. That’s what Swedish punks Bombshell Rocks are predicting on the blistering kickoff track of their outstanding sophomore CD Cityrats & Alleycats.
And they just might be the boys to drag the cliche sound of 20th-century punk into the new millennium. Seamlessly welding the classic Chuck Berry-on-speed guitar momentum of The Sex Pistols and the idealistic passion of The Clash to the gravel-throat vocals and hardcore fury of Rancid, this quintet turn out some of the most authentic, potent punk this side of San Francisco. And some of the finest — cuts like Radio Control and Crimestopper are tightly constructed, smartly produced nuggets whose spot-on grooves and catchy choruses make it obvious Bombshell Rocks aren’t just another gang of punk revivalists, but legitimate torchbearers. “Now I feel unstoppable,” boasts singer Marten Cedergran on one track. He just might be right.
