Taking their name from a potent (sadly now discontinued) brand of lager popular with local punks, Sunderland’s Slalom D have a sound that’s just as intoxicating as anything you’ll find in a can. Formed in 2018, tragedy befell the band with death of original vocalist Craig Macbeth the following year, but also triumph from adversity, Slalom D paying homage to their fallen comrade by leaving a trail of releases that are at once cerebral and visceral, attacking the heart and head simultaneously. Latest album, I Choose My Own Way To Burn, is no exception, presenting twelve tracks that crackle and fizz and add fuel to their revolutionary fire.

Opening with the call-to-arms that is ‘Fascist Epidemic’, Slalom D immediately nail their colours to the mast and issue a rallying cry that will echo throughout the coming twelve tracks. It begins with the type of chant you’ll hear on every high street on every Saturday afternoon, yet the sound contained within is totally unique and could belong to no one else. ‘Fascist Epidemic’ is hard, yet melodic, and comes infused with a strong anthemic quality. Awarded instant earworm status, it’ll bury itself deep inside your cranium, and won’t be leaving anytime soon. However, Slalom D are far from one-dimensional and I Choose My Own Way To Burn is an album of many shades; if the swirling, Killing Joke-esque, keys on ‘Fascist Epidemic’ were a balm to soothe our troubled times and instil a sense of calm, then the following ‘Varla’ is a storm, the dark clouds that were gathering unleash a raging torrent. It’s the musical equivalent of a bomb detonating and sends shards of sonics (and political slogans) shattering in every direction. In opposition to the opener, ‘Varla’ is a red hot laser beam that takes the most direct line to what it’s all about, yet in tandem with ‘Fascist Epidemic’ it makes the perfect one-two punch; with no two songs inhabiting the same sonic space, this flux in tempo keeps the listener engaged, making this the kind of album that can quite easily be consumed in one sitting. Slalom D understand that there’s more than one way to skin a cat, with ‘Bloody Mary’ being parred back (but no less powerful) and the following ‘Cosmic Light’ being a buoyant beast, but what stitches it all together is strong song sensibility, an instant sing-along quality that’s ever present, no matter what musical course Slalom D traverse.

Slalom D are bold enough to wear their political allegiances on their sleeves (in fact, they shout them through a megaphone) and no more so than on ‘White Rose’ (and the album sleeve), in honour of the German anti-Nazi Sophie Scholl. It’s a lyrical depth that goes hand in hand with their music, and ensures the messages contained within I Choose My Own Way To Burn ring loud and clear…will you heed their call?

• I Choose My Own Way To Burn is released via Serial Bowl Records.

Track List:

1. Fascist Epidemic
2. Varla
3. Medusa
4. Harbour Walls
5. Same Refrain
6. White Rose
7. Bloody Mary
8. Cosmic Light
9. Eagle High Malevolence
10. Merci Madame
11. The Van
12. Jerusalem