Album Review: Jerkazoid – Earth In Reverse

You can’t judge a book by its cover, but sometimes you can tell how good a band might be from the t-shirts they wear.

Jerkazoid are fans of Circle Jerks and Descendants, and the fire of the former can be heard on Earth In Reverse, as can the no-frills punk attitude of the latter. So, while you hear their debut album tap into the unfiltered and unvarnished attitudes and aesthetics of the early DC and LA hardcore scenes, it’s also so much more than that.

Portland, Oregon trio Jerkazoid comprises Bazooka Jules, Silky Breeze and Racecar Dan. Not their real names, I’d wager, but on Earth In Reverse, they are not hiding from anyone or anything. They say what they mean, mean what they say, expressing it without fear and with a lot of passion – and empathy.

On One Big Dumb Bitch they sing of the eye of the storm, but its primitive hardcore is the hurricane itself, a song where everything from the vocals to the drumming comes from the pits of their stomachs, spitting bile and fire – but is surprisingly melodic with it. That occurs often on Earth In Reverse; the power of the performances directed through melodies that place focus on the hooks and chorus, avoiding the nihilism of early hardcore.

It does have its sombre moments, and the band aren’t averse to casting their sharpness on political events; for instance, the fast and furious Lebanese Christmas is on the verge of being a punk-pop bop at times, then once you grasp the gravity of the lyrics, you can feel any holiday season cheer suddenly drain away.

With more than a little sarcasm, they have said about the song, “This one’s in honor of our brave drone operators bombing kids from a Church’s Chicken parking lot. Please don’t get cancer or anything.”

Similarly, the straightforward nature of Collateral Damage hits home in a way that is incredibly moving, while Somebody Kill ‘Em is amazingly catchy in spite of its subject matter.  

The trio sum up the album rather nicely themselves and with a slice of dark humour: “Earth In Reverse is a record about regression, hatred and about us. If you’re angry about the state of the world, then this one’s for you.”

Yes, it’s angry, and yes, it’s possessed of a righteous fury over most of its fifteen songs, but that is scarily focused, and delivered with compassion and a fierce intelligence.

Jerkazoid have a lot to say, because there is a lot wrong in the world right now. And while they don’t compromise themselves on the album, the trio also appreciates that you need to make your voice heard first before people will listen.

Fans of Circle Jerks and Descendents will like what Jerkazoid are saying and playing here, but I suspect fans of Green Day and Minor Threat would too, as would anyone who loves their guitar music hard, fast, and loud.

Earth In Reverse was released on the 14th of July and is streaming on Spotify and Apple Music. The band holds a launch party for the album on the 16th of July as Star Bar – check out Jerkazoid’s Instagram page for details.

Header photo by Julia Varga