Out of the myriad punk vocalists I’ve heard, Dean Beddis remains one of the most distinctive and easily recognizable. From his days fronting Cowboy Killers through to Bad Sam, it is impossible to confuse him with anyone else. Some of that quality comes from me having known him for over thirty years—thus being accustomed to his vocal tone from those early days—but even without that, it’s hard to see how it would be to forget his voice. Bad Sam’s third album finds the band with a noticeably more imposing and combative sound than on previous releases and this is emphasized on the four tracks off the Newport Hotel album which have been re-recorded and now kick even more ass. In the words of the man himself, they have “more bollox speed and bits and bobs,” and I will testify to that. This reminds me of the D.O.A. and Jello Biafra collaboration but with a more succinct approach to lyrical content. –Rich Cocksedge (Self-released, [email protected])