John No Arms

Front If you were to come up to me and ask “do you like punk rock” I’d be interested but wouldn’t have my hopes very high. Then if you were to say “Brazilian punk rock” you would have my attention. Brazil has been a global hot spot for underground metal bands in recent years with no sub-genre being left untouched, no stone left unturned, and no style not done. Punk rock has never been my favorite form of metal (yes, I call it a form of metal, f**kin’ deal with it), but I’ve never been afraid to listen to it as there are a few bands that I really enjoy, and today John No Arms, even though they aren’t overwhelming amazing in my eyes, have gained my respect as their latest album “Bar” is a grade-A piece of punk rock that shows these guys have got the true Brazilian touch of metal in their work. Fourteen tracks spread out over forty minutes, “Bar” is a record that really goes all across the board for its genre with the most noticeable thing being the track lengths that vary from the expected minute to the different but welcomed five minute long songs. To me both kinds hold up very well as they both have their individual strengths of aggressiveness, speed, pace, intensity, rhythm; the whole nine yards. Everything from the interesting vocals, the rhythmic guitars, grinding bass, and thunderous drums have all found their niche with “Bar” and have proceeded to great a record that in its dullest moments is still well done. John No Arms isn’t just a funky name for a band for no reason because some of the comedic value from their name bleeds over into some of the shorter tracks like “One Minute to Midnight” which adds a little not serious fun to the mix because why the hell not? All in all, “Bar” is a fun album that really goes all over the spectrum for punk rock as John No Arms doesn’t stick to one style in particular in favor of shaking things up and keeping thing fresh. A solid record to say in the least, these guys are another addition to the proof that Brazil is truly one of the most diverse, interesting, and awesome places for the metal underground the whole world.