Civet

Punk rock with an emphasis on the rock, Civet's Hell Hath No Fury is an album fueled by no holds barred rock n' roll, snotty attitude, hooky songwriting, and a whole lot of piss n' vinegar. Tim Armstrong saw the potential and signed the band to his quality Hellcat imprint, even co-writing the catchy (and, unsurprisingly, rather Rancid-esque) "All I Want," a song that is only one of many highlights ("Son of a Bitch," "Bad Luck," the title track, the list goes on and on).

The spirited attitude, gritty vocals, and gender of the members will vaguely remind some of The Runaways. Though a cliché comparison (I mean, come on, it's not like we've never seen female punk bands before), it speaks more to the raucous n' rebellious approach than any kind of style mimicry. Most importantly, Civet has struck the elusive balance between balls-out punk rock firepower and hook-laden songwriting. Whether taking cues from Social Distortion, Motorhead or Rancid, Hell Hath No Fury is one memorable and ass-kicking collection of tunes.

—Scott Alisoglu
09.24.08