Lowlife UK
“That’s Just How It Is”
‘The Hypnotized Never Lies’
By Jillian Abbene
(SugarBuzz Wash DC/Baltimore/Richmond)
SugarBuzz Magazine
Lowlife UK has a solid ‘ruckus’ record, and with their established status around the scene, maybe it’s true what they say-‘the one who screams the loudest, gets notice,’ because their latest CD, ‘That’s Just How It is,’ will not be sitting alone on the shelf. As I began this CD review, I have been informed that there is yet another CD being recorded entitled, ‘The Hypnotized Never Lie.’ Now this is a band that seems to has something to say. I decided to combine both CD’s because they each have equal rockin power.
“That’s Just How It is”
What a better subject than to write about broken promises, and an unrealistic future…eh? ‘A Short Fuse,’ opens with an unpredictable beginning, but leaves me anticipating 
that big sound launcher. It does. Gliding on top of three long chords, Beaker, the lead vocalist, is in echoed spoken word as the sample is taken straight out of the movie, ‘Fight Club.’ In a clear ending of, “…very, very, pissed off,” the rollicking tempo jumps in. Cascading into the three-chord changes, Beaker’s scratched-up lead growls is in unison with the back-ups-only to having me refer my memory back to the similar vocal style of Sweeney Todd from The Dead Pets. Fat Paul Enema is on guitar, exporting the in-yer-face metal start/stops prior the screaming riff and twiddlings. The chorus and backups are catchy and now explosive repeats, all ready for the beat stomp. Beaker’s recruited shouts end in one drawn out gargling growl.
The next song has my favorite sound-the rolling tribal drums. Longer guitar chords switches to metal-punk angst gradually keeping that mid-tempo beat on, ‘Dead and Gone.’ It’s Gazz’s repeat tribal drums and Beaker’s growling bits setting up the chorus lead-in. As the short stabbing guitar supports underneath that chorus, Beaker is effortlessly rattling off verse. Just then, in chimes Fat Paul’s spotlighting lead-guitar quickly making a grand exit with one high-pitch pull at the end riff. However, Beaker doesn’t appear to be finished. With one more round on verse with volunteering, ‘woh-oh’ backups, it’s the guitar-fused chords as well as the chorus that opens up the tune. Although the lyrics are simple, it’s totally made for crowd shouts and for fists a-flyin’.
I like this next song, ‘I Do Not Fear.’ There is an AC/DC, ‘A Whole Lot of Rosie’ reference as Paul’s rock ‘n roll melody is the solo opener. Just when there
is a one-sear lead-in of drum pangs and longer bass notes, in pops up a mustering groove. Beaker’s vocals are fiercer, bolstering a sharper tone; however, it is here that the rockin’ riff carries the melody. On the chorus (with cymbal crashes and drums), real rock meets street punk. I like Beaker’s two-timing growl-scowl as Paul launches his melodic riff-too bad it left me feeling it was all too short. Pausing, Beaker croons a one split-second blurb before lending the melody to Papa Luigi on bass. Here, it is the bass and drum that hoists the drum rolls two times before the sudden crash.
This next song begins with a smuggled American recorded dialog out of the movie track of, “The Shining,” with Jack Nicholson. It begins… “Here’s to five miserable months on the wagon…and all the irrefutable harm that it’s caused me…,” as it begins the next song, ‘Live To Drink.’ Off-beated and off-handed drum rolls palpitate with syncopations, cramming in the chorus and a catchy bass-pluck solo. Beaker’s croon-in-the gut scratches the third verse along with his gang posse on the chorus-all on the off-beat which has the guitar fading underneath. With the beat slamming on the brakes to a full stop, it is the drum that doesn’t hesitate to take the reigns in one more round leading to the ultimate burdened crash.
A two-noted rhythm takes the grand stand with Papa Luigi’s bass in, ‘One Foot In The Grave.’ Paul maestros his sharp-metal chords, to have Beaker following suit with grizzly shouts on the verse. Gang vocal participation, for sure, as the chorus is wrapped up into initiated primal aggression. It’s after the chorus repeats that the guitar, bass, and drum are all on the rhythm together. Further, as the drums spearhead the framework, it is like a cliff hanger-ending the song before I know it.
What makes this next song the best song on the
CD is its attitude. ‘Cut You Down,’ begins with three ticks before the three-chorded metal melody, and all before the first verse, Beaker’s clear but angry-filled vocals produce a great faded echo. As heavy guitar baptisms are sandwiched between the lyrics, a circle of swirling guitar and gang chorus is unquestionably poignant. The hornet-scream adds contrast, leaving space for bass and drum as the bridge builds to crescendo-with alternating guitar. Excellent revolutions of drum pangs on the clever beat of, “Wipe that smile…,” reiterating Lowlife UK’s flat lining angst.
Ending the CD with the self-entitled song, ’That’s Just How It Is,’ a surprise of solemn fuzz-chords begins forcing the drum to kick the ass back into the drum-beat. Paul adds a proper riff this time around, jamming out while suspended that beat. The MC5 rock ‘n roll leanings are beefy and driving. To wrap it up, Beaker catches his breathe to belt out a growled-out, “yeah!” as Paul loses control in the guitar wa-wa reverb, pulling all the stops in character form. What a crackin’ warm up for the new CD.
[As an honorable mention: The Ramones cover tribute, ‘Glad To See You Go,’ gallivants into a sequenced 1-2-3-4 of heavy-handed drums maligned with signature harmonies that target with poetic pop-license all at the expense of Lowlife UK having fun. It’s fast, it’s sardonic, it’s pop.]
‘The Hypnotized Never Lies’
Well, I'm not going to lie to you--"The Hypnotized Never Lies," CD threw me off. I wasn't prepared for Beaker’s vocals--not 
strained in the higher-registered metal-shriek/shout of Lemmy that seems to come naturally; rather than the darker guttural voicings produced on the previous album. With it comes a different attitude and a different sound.
I just couldn’t digest this album all in one listen. Cancelling out any assumptions, these songs are still hemmed on the angst--just as the last album, however, they are given musical liberties of pushing the ‘DIY’ to all things rock. Like a chronic internal boil of solid melodies from Fat Paul, and concentrated rhythms from Gaz and Andy, each song undeniably maligns Beaker’s style of growl/scowl as a cleaner sound. It changes the whole CD.
Let’s start with the first song, "Insomnia." It kicks off in 2/4th rhythm on heavy guitar chords harnessed by convulsive syncopated thrash drum-pounds that hit on that off-beat. On impact, Beaker's sharp and scratchy vocals along with back-up chorus-shouts, is slotted for air-punchin with fists a-flyin'.
As the M8 splinters off with Andy’s (Papa Luigi) solo bass-line, Gaz’s drum pedal is accompanied by four-noted guitar-squeals and guitar feedback. It crescendos and breaks away into a mini-guitar riff confirming that this is full-tilt rock ‘n roll. With the bridge moonshining into high-registered squeals, all the elements of Metal swing back to the tempoed guitar on the third verse. With repeated gang chorus, fast-fusion guitar, plumped-bass, and thudded-drums, lead vocals add to the fierceness in a shouted, 'Insomnia!' to the end.
The opening second song begins with four-bar guitar chords and Paul’s faded echo-shout accapella is a precursor on, ‘Down In The City.’ Impaling 
in that syncopated time, Beaker’s scowley-growl trails off after each verse. Just then, rebel-guitar busts into rhythm, giving this song real grit. After the second round of chorus, the bridge of the song is in slo-mo, as Beaker now speaks with conviction on, “This dog’ll fight…” A haunting one-noted guitar-pull pierces through the chorus as the melody punctuates on beat to have it all crash at the stop. This is one of my favorite songs on the CD.
An interjection of regulated street/Oi, ‘Don’t Let Them,’ is a catchy, steady tune. It is noted that the guitar lead is in unison with the lead vocals. The unrestrained emphasis is then tacked on the end of each verse, and the lyrics are escorted as brazen insults from a job gone wrong. I totally relate to this song. In the middle of the song, there is a hold-off on the lead vocals before the chorus repeats one more time before the last verse, ‘…such a little shit.’ With the accapella guitar-melody strums, a one high-noted squeal drifts to trail off to the end of this song.
This next disenfranchised song, ‘Anti-You,’ is more of a scampering rock n roll beat that reforms to a punk/metal vibe. With readily appointed shouts and uncoiling rhythm, Fat Paul’s signature tune is techniqued with slide guitar while taking over on the M8 as a revolving door. At the end of the chorus, Beaker lets out one helluva belt! It’s all in an old-school framework with a contemporary guitar melody-which I think are the secret ingredients to their sound. Now back to the third verse-the repeat chorus alongside the nostril-flaring guitar before the reprieve, repeats to a slow-burn fades out.
In savaged sexual aggression, snarled growls in, ‘Glad Your Name,’ slashes out more identifiable rock n roll (think Motorhead.) The melodic chorus is culminated by cymbal tings
together with Paul’s bookended echo-bellows. Gaz’s drumbeat is really the master of this domain, as the second verse catnips the M8 to a crescendo then into the harrowing chorus. Beaker’s lower-register vocals trade off on shouts of, ‘’No More!” and switching off that bristled motor-mouth growl. A swirl of Andy’s guitar riff makes this song a must-have favorite.
With red-hot immediacy, the odd-noted chorus and syncopated drums in, ‘Dead From The Neck Up,’ can be declared the black horse of the album. An encompassing surge of guitar in-between unexpected rollicking drum beats converge with swells of heavy guitar chords along with surprising melodic sharp and flat notes on the gang chorus. Stopping with just enough guitar squeal, a reprieve gives enough space to burn a speed-metal riff. The expansive insurgency swings back like a pendulum cutting off the beat at the end.
After a four-bar tinned-out guitar melody, Andy’s thumpin’ bass and Gaz’s heavy-handed drum-pounds are the beef. The chords are longer strum-intervals underneath the framework of polyrhythms. Switching beat, the bridge launches a set up with a group-chorus shingled by Beaker’s vocal shouts. Naturally, Beaker ends the song with him having the final say.
With a howl, a crash of guitar (infused with wa-wa chords), a guttural ‘yeah!’ and Beaker’s bristled shout, ‘I’ve got a Fuckin’ Right!’ is an
impressive version of Iggy and The Stooges' original. Splitting into squealin’ guitar notes and then a guitar riff, Beaker shouts, growls and shrieks to the accapella drum-pedaled beat. Frogging up in echo resonance, it’s full throttled cadence--made for fist shakin’, cussin,’ moshin’, and head bangin’.
Further, just as I thought this song was over, it bleeds into, ‘Outro.’ A four-minute jam of high squeals and wa-wa pedal repeats. Separated by feedback and a tromped beat, the entire song morphs into a melancholic bend, dispelling into a white wall of fuzz. Nice!
Now that Lowlife UK has exercised some real chops on this CD, I wonder..."can they top this?" For me, no worries...I've been convinced for some time now and remain a loyal fan. As for the rest of you--you'll just have to listen to these two awesome CDs in the meantime and wait for the next one.