SSS are a hardcore/thrash crossover band from the UK and Short Sharp Shock is their debut album that was initially self released in 2006 and has now been re-released with the band getting on a proper label. 

The album starts with the intro Calm Before The Storm which brings to mind the intros from the classic 80s releases and SSS seems to be yet another band that’s jumping on the retro thrash bandwagon. As Warhorse starts with a short burst of lead guitar and some thrashy riffing it seems I’m in for another ride to retro thrash hell. At the same time, the vocals are more hardcore shouty than thrash and bear some resemblance to The Exploited. The songs are all fast, aggressive and short. In fact before you know it, you’ve hurtled past song number five and this album has a lot more in common with early crossover champions DRI or even the first two Suicidal Tendencies albums than it does to the usual thrash metal suspects. Short Sharp Shock in fact owes a bit of a debt to Suicidal Tendencies and their uber kvlt Join The Army album. Also, the grooves and vocals remind me quite a bit of The Exploited without being as abrasive.

The album starts really well with the first five songs all being short aggressive tracks that are sure to drive the mosh pit into a frenzy. Other stand out tracks include the title song SSS and the pissed off hardcore punk of Last Man Standing. While there isn’t  a lot of originality on this album and you’ve probably heard all of this before, where SSS score points is in the sheer aggressiveness of the material on offer. This is, for the most part, well played crossover with more than a few songs that’ll make you want to bang your head.  OJ Skyrkts is another really good song that borrows riffs from the glory days of thrash metal and has some pretty decent lead playing while the shouty gang vocals still give the song a feeling of hardcore. LxBxPx has a classic Agnostic Front feel to it and like I said earlier, every song on this album wears its influences on its sleeve but it’s all delivered with so much passion and aggression that the fact that it’s all a bit derivative is rendered moot.

SSS come across as a band that keep things simple and straight forward and write fast heavy songs that due to their very short length are also a lot of fun. There’s simply not enough time to get bored with the songs on this album.  While I suppose your enjoyment of this album depends entirely on how much you like 80s crossover, if you still listen to your old Suicidal Tendencies albums then you’ll like this one quite a bit.

Year Of Release – 2007
Label –  Earache