Having just enjoyed another Canadian outfit, the impressive Sawyer Path, this Ottawa 3 piece seemed to know I might snap them up while at it. Scarecrowz seem to have done the right thing in turn by slinging a copy of their debut disc in our humble direction.

 

Hitting off with Octane - and they appear pretty high in that - I have a feeling these guys might need refuelling more than once through the course of this platter. Racing alternative-laden punk with a very seventies flavoured vocal production and some pumping bass gaps give occasional way to high speed spit along assaults. Ger, Julian and Francis seem to prefer to go in for upper mid paced workouts instead of whimsical bandwagon jumping action. The result of this formula is a sound almost as bright as the big red Chevvy adorning the front of the sleeve.

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'Smoke and Mirrors', 'When Bodies Collide', 'Crack and Bleed', 'The Disciple Principle', 'Ladykiller', 'Clever Pennies' and 'Blunt Force Trauma' amongst others come with more surprises than you'd arm yourself to expect, including some swish blues-glazed soloing that also would not have gone amiss on a Bad Company or Lynyrd Skynyrd album.

 

A band well positioned to become outstanding in their field, (apply huge groan in this space) Scarecrowz are one of too many reasons why Canada continue to steal one of the very upper rungs in the rock music industry.