Unreal is a perfect bit of punk meets metal. With an arrangement that immediately recalls early Misfits and Strike Anywhere, the band is able to craft a cross-over hit. No Blitz has a catchy style to their arrangements that will appease fans of Shrinky Dinx and The Offspring. My Life is the longest track on Never Satisfied, but the band crams enough material in the five-plus minute runtime to keep listeners focused in. Of particular note here has to be the guitar work, setting the stage for the extremely emotional vocals that follow. No Blitz is able to come forth as an utterly unique act, taking their fair share of influence from California pop-punk, political-punk, and labels like Jade Tree and Deep Elm.
Aim to Please starts the second half of Never Satisfied, and it provides listeners with a more emotional side to the band. I feel that No Blitz follows a path similar to Unwritten Law here; the band does not eschew any of their musical influences but ratchets the human component up to ten. This EP ends with Exception to the Rule, a much dirtier and Detroit-esque type of rock track. Exception to the Rule solidifies No Blitz as a great up and coming rock act, and I am personally excited to see where the band will go from here.
This is music for 2012, while building off of the framework originally created by Rites of Spring and Fugazi. Never Satisfied may end after the fourth track (Exception to the Rule), but the tracks collected here provide listeners with a solid introduction to the band. Here’s to hoping that all of the energy and fury that the band has placed on here can be writ large to a full-length disc. Check out their website for listings of tour dates and information about any subsequent release.
Top Tracks: My Life, Exception to the Rule
Rating: 8.0/10
No Blitz – Never Satisfied (CD) / 2012 Self / 4 Tracks / http://www.noblitz.com