Monster Trux's debut
Grind is so retro that it's downright refreshing: in an age of cookie-cutter mall-punk bands like
Sum 41 and
blink-182,
Monster Trux are pure '80s style skate punk along the lines of the early
Gang Green or
NOFX, with just a little of the pop culture brattiness of
Born Innocent-era
Redd Kross thrown in. Silly but not juvenile (the jokes are mostly along the lines of "Pool Shark," a goofy instrumental raveup based on the theme from Jaws) and filled with capable two-minute blasts of ramalama -- the opening "Svengoolie" and the blistering "Bones Brigade" resemble
the Queers and early
Clash, respectively -- that marry melody and attitude in equal parts,
Grind is a solid first effort. Most encouragingly,
Monster Trux understand the value of brevity; even with the endlessly extended, metal-tinged closer "Monster Show" appended, the whole album is over in a brisk half-hour. ~ Stewart Mason