Review / 200 Words Or Less
Sirhan Sirhan
Blood

Anodyne (2008) Tyler

Sirhan Sirhan – Blood cover artwork
Sirhan Sirhan – Blood — Anodyne, 2008

Sirhan Sirhan plays groovy hardcore punk with a bit of a noise rock bent and maybe even some of that vintage rock 'n' roll vibe from The Bronx's early work, but with a much heftier guitar sound and harsher vocals.

This album doesn't really have a whole lot in common with what would traditionally be considered hardcore except for being pissed off. But I can understand the Black Flag and Bad Brains comparisons because in keeping with the attitude of those bands, Sirhan Sirhan is scatter-brained, emotionally intense, and doesn't care who it pisses off or what other genres it hijacks.

Comprised of eleven short songs crammed into a half hour, Blood is a fast, old-school hardcore album when it wants to be (see "Decapitate/Disintegrate" and the title-track), but otherwise falls under the category of chunkier, mid-paced punk like Amen, with a slight metallic edge. While Sirhan Sirhan is kind of a summation of punk rock's nearly forty-year history, the band's originality lies in the eclecticism of the sub-genres referenced, and there's enough attitude and anger involved to make it believable.

7.8 / 10Tyler • August 26, 2009

Sirhan Sirhan – Blood cover artwork
Sirhan Sirhan – Blood — Anodyne, 2008

Advertisement

DCxPC 2025

Recently-posted album reviews

Chat Pile

Cool World
Flenser (2024)

The great American experiment has a wide range of experiences, but it tends to focus on the coasts. There are countless dystopian pieces of art, often culling from a Warriors-esque concept of urban grit. Chat Pile play dystopian, brutal noise-punk, but from a distinctly middle American point of view where instead of civilians shadowed under dense skylines, their anonymity instead … Read more

The Anomalys

Down The Hole
Slovenly (2024)

If I have to give the elevator pitch, I’ll call The Anomalys garage rock with an ear for surf and psyche rock -- turned up to 11 and blasted through blown out speakers in an old 1980s sedan. It’s high-energy, no-frills rock ‘n’ roll with attitude. While it’s short, loud and fast, there’s also quite a bit of nuance and … Read more

Pinhead Gunpowder

Unt
1-2-3-4 Go! Records (2024)

Pinhead Gunpowder began in 1990, recording a 7” in 1991. The band last released a 7” in 2008… Until late 2024 when the band returned with the 14-song full-length Unt. So congratulations if you had “we get a new Pinhead Gunpowder record before a new D4 record on your bingo card. (These two bands released a split 7” in 2000 … Read more