EP REVIEW Bring That Shit Back – Powerflo

POWERFLO burst onto the scene last year with their eponymous debut and as they start to prepare for festivals in Europe including a slot at Download Festival, they have released an eight track EP, titled Bring That Shit Back which features a couple of new tracks along with six remixes of album tracks from that aforementioned debut record.

Opening up with the new tracks and they start with a storming rocked up version of BOB MARLEY’s Get Up Stand Up where you can hear elements of all of the members’ other bands all come together creating a noise that should light up a few pits come festival time. The other track is a ninety second hardcore blast that is the title track, with one repeated line declaring “we’re motherfucking POWERFLO” which just throws up memories of hearing early BODYCOUNT tracks in rock clubs. Now that would be a tour to see. 

The remixes are a bit of a strange point on the record. Some work and some don’t, maybe having three versions of two tracks is a little much for an eight track release, but they all bring something different to the tracks involved. From the old school industrial remix sounding DFLOW mix of Where I Stay to the disjointed drum and bass of NIVAEU ZERO mix of The Grind, it’s cool to hear some different takes but it could have worked better with six different tracks. 

POWERFLO specialise in new music for people who like old music, and that’s cool, they have a great pedigree and do it well. Billy Graziadei (BIOHAZARD) and Sen Dog (CYPRESS HILL) have styles that complement each other well, and there are some hints of DOWNSET and FEAR FACTORY hidden away in there too. This is a bunch of people who have known each other for a long time, finally doing what they have planned for an equally long time. Bring That Shit Back however, seems like a bit of a missed opportunity. This would have been a better bonus CD with the last year’s self-titled album rather than a standalone release and they could have had just a couple of mixes and maybe a couple of live tracks to really whet the appetite for their first European performances. It’s decent, but it doesn’t give too much of a glimpse into what this band are all about.

Rating: 7/10

Bring That Shit Back is out now via New Damage Records.

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