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The Owen Guns are blazing their way through the modern Sydney rock scene as a thinking person’s punk band with lyrical substance and unapologetic attitude. Their debut album, Dawn of the Braindead, represents this approach to a T. Whether they entertain, enrage, amuse or abuse you is up to you. They excel at making you question your beliefs, and they seem to have a lot of fun doing it.
Take the opening lyric of The Adventures of Captain Yellowtooth in the Temple of Dumb – “you really believe that the earth is flat, and NASA’s telling lies” – yells frontman Sean The Bastard – “but you’re a weapons-grade cockhead, so that comes as no surprise”. Or those to Pulling on the Boots (Racist Dickhead) – “pulling on the boots but struggling with the laces, terrified of those with different coloured faces”.
The majority of songs on this 12-track, 24-minute album uses the timeless platform of punk to protest against a range of contemporary subjects, which is really refreshing. In opening track Not You Too, one of the album’s three lead singles, The Owen Guns take a vicious swipe at U2’s Bono, who the band obviously perceive as a famous human irritant with toxic hypocritical qualities – “Bono, Bono, you’re a cunt, you’re shit and you know it…every time you start to speak, you go ahead and show it”.
Proceeding with their complaint agenda, following track Arson About begins with the cry of “burn down Hillsong”, before saying it’s “headed by the son of a dirty paedophile”. Who Stole The Water and Fuck What You Think You’ve Heard maintain this righteous verbal attack, while novelty tracks like C.S.M.F, Drunk Shirtless Guy and It’s Not a Riot remind us that the rage of punk is partially grounded in fun too. The kazoo solo on Not You Too and the various offbeat vocal samples heard throughout the album help to cement this point, amidst a generous peppering of four letter words.
From a sonic angle, Dawn of the Braindead has a very dry, raw and live rehearsal room quality that complements the no-frills approach of Sean’s lyrics. Tight and competent drumming from Chinese-Australian punk Ma Tu provides the foundation for Booker’s scuzzy bass and Mark’s overdriven guitar, which rings out with many adrenalised rock chords of the ‘loud and proud’ variety.
Speed freaks will enjoy the rampaging thrash of Five Bees and Fuck What You Think You’ve Heard, while more danceable moments are to be found on Not You Too and Pulling on the Boots (Racist Dickhead).
Dawn of the Braindead is an obscene blast of pissed-off energy that ridicules our current age of mass-moronism and corruption, in a fun rock style that is proudly ugly.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED 3 NOVEMBER 2022