Finland has more than fifty metal bands for every 100,000 citizens. While many punk rock bands from adjacent countries have made a mark in the genre, there aren’t many from Finland. Hopefully, SLICERRR from Helsinki, Finland, can change that with their debut self-titled EP. This bass-heavy garage band brings steady grooves with beefy riffs and blunt guitars. Let’s dig in.
Tuomas Koitalho’s distorted, Peter Gunn-like bass line drives the opening song, “Losing My Grip,” while Juho Talja’s guitar comes in every so often until its muted chords chorus. Jukka-Pekka Talsi sings about losing his mind, but from the beginning, you can tell he’s already there. “Turbo Spinello” keeps the pace of its previous song and even brings some electric drums in for the ride. It’s menacing but fun. “Magic Number 24” sounds like it’s about a beer. “Asocial’s” lyrics would almost be the cherry on top of the cake of losing all hope in humanity if the closing song, “Offline,” wasn’t about being bored with the internet. It’s bleak and gives the impression that the online world is just as bad and boring as the real world.
SLICERR’s EP plays like the soundtrack to a modern horror movie, and I mean that in the best way. It feels like something is chasing after you and not in the Tales From the Crypt way like the Misfits. It’s much more cerebral, despite its blunt instrumentation. Talja’s higher-octave guitar parts remind me a lot of the Pixies. Feniks Willamo’s drums and Kotialho’s bass are front and center. I have reviewed a lot of EPs, they’ve all been fantastic in their own way, and SLICERRR’s self-titled debut is no exception. If I were to guess, the extra R’s in SLICERRR are for the extra rock they bring. Don’t sleep on this EP.