With twenty-five years under their belts, Montreal’s Ripcordz continue to pump out classic singalong punk albums with a quality and ease that is almost unnerving. The funny thing is that they remain more or less unknown outside of Canada, and I’m pretty sure they’re fine with that. 100,000 Watts of Power is an amazing record. Not only do they continue to play what they’ve always done best, but they’ve added some layers that I’ve never noticed before. This time around, the first thing I thought of was Leatherface. It shouldn’t be a far stretch, since Paul’s gravely voice is quite similar to that of Frankie Stubbs, but I never made the connection until now. It’s so damn good. Fans of stuff out there on labels like Hellcat and Sailor’s Grave should take note and search these guys out.
–ty (Mayday, www.unionlabelgroup.com)