Finland is quite a strange country. High up in the north, they produce one mobile phone after another, enabling all of us around the world to communicate wirelessly with their Nokias.
On the other hand, they listen to a lot of crazy metal bands that only mean something to die-hard fans here, and anyone who has heard the guys from Eläkeläiset knows that the Finns definitely have a screw loose.
This makes the country inherently likable. There are also great bands from there like
I WALK THE LINE and HEARTBREAK STEREO, both of which will be releasing a new album soon. Now, NO SHAME is joining them.
The combo is among the most popular punk bands in Finland.
You have to take this in. The band has made it to the big radios of the Nordic country with the first single from this album, and that despite (or perhaps because of?) the song title “Better drunk than a part of the machine.” Just the title alone is great, that already earns a sympathy bonus point.
But how is the album “Ironing Day” in its entirety?
Well, the band knows their craft; the record is excellent.
The long version is that the band mixes punk rock with wave, noise, thrash, hardcore, and even screamo elements. The songs are still not musically overloaded or alienated. Their musical spectrum is showcased song by song. Each song is well-crafted, offering the listener something new to discover even after multiple listens, thus escaping any pigeonhole.
NO SHAME not only showcase their musical talent but also their eye for political, social, and very personal grievances. This is evident in the aforementioned song “Better drunk than a part of the machine,” as well as in the powerful song “Tenderized,” the anthemic “Like a bullet,” and the pounding hardcore punk song “Fuck the System.”
With “Ironing Day,” NO SHAME delivers a truly solid record!
