Impact -- Punk Christmas

Since the last review I did left me with a bad taste in my mouth, I thought I would dig up something fun that I could spend a few minutes writing up before calling it a night. And, really, what could be more appropriate for the week before Christmas than Impact's wonderful bit of holiday-inspired punk rock confectionary?

Although the seven-inch "Punk Christmas" EP can be found with one of two decidedly Yule-themed covers, the eponymous A-side is the only song on the three-track disk to incorporate the festive jingling of sleigh bells into the power chord-heavy brand of Welsh oi! for which Impact is known. The remainder is pretty much what you would expect from an early-eighties street punk band: working class phlegm; heavily-accented vocals; simple, relentless wall-of-sound guitars; pounding drums; and thick-tongued, boozy oh-oh-ohs in the background.

Hailing from Cwmbran, Impact (not to be confused with the Italian hardcore band of the same name) was one of the better street punk outfits playing in South Wales during the early-to-middle 1980s and their lone 7" remains one of the more entertaining releases to emerge out of the pub-centered second-wave U.K. punk scene.

Track Listing:

Track 1. "Punk Christmas." Clocking in at just under two minutes, the EP's title track is a delightful sing-along, urging all the crusty punk kids to "get into the spirit of things." And it works. Oi to the world, indeed.

Track 2. "Law of the Land." Another strong, speedy guitar-driven sing-along. . .if only the vocals were clearer. . .

Track 3. "Your Decisions." See above.

Sobriquet Grade: 81 (B-).