With 1981's
All Out Attack EP, Derbyshire's now-legendary Blitz unapologetically stomped their way into the burgeoning oi! scene, pounding out four unrelenting blasts of pure sonic energy and lit up the creative circuits of countless street punk and oi! bands following in their wake. Although all four tracks on the disk are keepers, the opening "Someone's Gonna Die Tonight" is about as perfect an oi! anthem as humanly possible. A tale of street fighting gone very, very wrong, "Someone's Gonna Die Tonight" features Nidge Miller's sandpapery voice rhetorically querying "Do you feel alright?" giving his bandmates (and, presumably, every audience member ever to attend a Blitz show) the opportunity to chant
oi! oi! oi! in response. Add to this buzzing guitars and a pounding drumbeat so loud that the vinyl practically shakes the turntable and you've got one hell of a song. The second track on the disk, "Attack" actually reminds me a bit of Japan's Teengenerate with its lo-fi production and garage-y sound. With the guitars distorted to the point of making one wonder whether his or her stereo isn't blown out and insanely catchy
uh-uh-uhhhs weaving in and out of the bombination, "Attack" is a massive announcement of the band's power and energy. The remaining two songs, "Fight to Live" and "45 Revolutions," follow the same buzzing formula as the A-siders and, while not as immediately catchy as the first two tracks, are both solid sing-alongs that will undoubtedly continue to serve as nonpareil blueprints for those seeking the classic oi! sound.
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