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"...with guitars that seemingly cause images of band saws ripping through all kinds of shit in my head... for anyone who enjoys their rock with a bit of complexity and razor sharp squall." Built on a Weak Spot (USA) review of Landlord June 2009

"Some intricately violent things going on here and like we said last time around; relentlessly dense. Twelve fine tracks, twelve slices of healthy abrasive raw wired violent creative intelligent noise..." Organ Magazine (London) review of Let Them Sink

“…an abundance of intricate subtleties, referencing both the post-punk and no-wave without getting tied down in nostalgia or trend. It’s personal and visceral, and blatantly world class.” Rave Magazine (Australia) Review of Last Few Bucks 7” Feb 2008

“One of those edgy jagged pointy rusty-edged violently noisy, relentlessly dense, good, low end staccato bands that violently jab (and jab and jab) at you…” Organ Magazine (London) review of Count Less Dead August 2007

“By far one of Australia’s most impressive bands at the moment, their thunderous, animalistic rock was absolutely captivating and entrancing…” FasterLouder (Australia) Live Review June 2007

Landlord Review - Built on a Weak Spot (USA), June 16 2009
I’ve got to hand it to SCUL HAZZARDs; they’ve wasted very little time in getting material out accumulating a handful of EP’s with Landlord marking the bands second full-length album, all of which have come since around 2006. The band continues forth here in their quest to drum up a Rapeman/Big Black revival by crafting excellent tunes that would have easily gotten much love during the 80’s/90’s noise/math/aggro heyday. That’s not to say it shouldn’t be getting the same receptive response today, as it most definitely should. So far their catalog warrants it, and Landlord certainly doesn’t hurt their case. The album is as every bit piercing as their previous Let Them Sink (which was also a favorite of mine last year by the way), with guitars that seemingly cause images of band saws ripping through all kinds of shit in my head. If there is one thing that consistently registers with me about them, it’s that. Sure, many bands come across and try and replicate this sort of sound, but SCUL HAZZARDs have done nothing but show that they have the visceral edge to keep it fresh and inspiring in the present day. If you weren’t a fan of the band already, then I doubt Landlord is going to change that…but for anyone that has yet to hear them and enjoys their rock with a bit of complexity and razor sharp squall, then definitely don’t miss out on this.

Let Them Sink Review - Built on a Weak Spot (USA), Oct 6 2008
Let Them Sink is the first proper full-length from former Brisbane, Australia now London based Scul Hazzards. After releasing a couple enticing EP’s through Australian label Valve in ’06 and ’07, Let Them Sink came with high expectations on my end. Released earlier this year through Rejuvenation on vinyl, the album delivers mightily with an abrasive blast of noisy post-punk through twelve tracks. The guitars manage to slip between thick rumbling feedback and razor sharp trebly edge that at times sound like their rattling off the walls of a dimly lit cellar all the while being propelled by the repetitious thud of bass in the forefront. For those that haven’t heard the band before, this should easily appeal to the AmRep crowd or simply anyone that has or had even the slightest interest in Unwound, Jesus Lizard, and Big Black. Let Them Sink is the sort of uncompromising and rigidly paced album that I had in mind and hoped for when I first heard it. Definitely one of the better noise-rock/post-punk related albums of the year.

Let Them Sink Review - Organ Magazine (London)
The Australian outfit have relocated to sunny London now and they’ve brought their very abrasive sound with them. A brooding noise, a jagged edgy rusty noise that feels like a lot of positive London things from a little while back – Homage Freaks, Scissormen, Red Eye Express and that whole abrasive post-hardcore Big Black flavoured noise thing. Some intricately violent things going on here and like we said last time around; relentlessly dense. Twelve fine tracks, twelve slices of healthy abrasive raw wired violent creative intelligent noise for you people who love your Jesus Lizard and your Albini style and proper angle-grinding noise and relentless shortcuts through a needle’s eye – good good good.

Let Them Sink Review - Perte et Fracas (France)
Le temps urge. Un vol de kangourous aux ailes bleues aciers débarquent la semaine prochaine sur nos terres. Un beau panier de crabes de labels français autant enthousiastes que pressés se mettent en quatre et à cinq pour sortir la version vinyle du premier album des Australiens de Scul Hazzards. Un timing parfait pour une promo tout aussi au taquet et emballée. Il faut dire qu'il n'a fallu que peu d'écoutes pour être conquis par cet album. Le punk-noise du trio de Brisbane n'a pas trop connu de secousses depuis leur dernier single. Sauf que dès le morceau d'ouverture, Manup, une autre référence me saute à la tronche. On pensait bien les avoir en main avec des références telles que Jesus Lizard, Rapeman et toutes la clique du genre permettant de déjouer tous les pièges. Et là, c'est le Hammerhead époque Into the Vortex/Ethereal Killer qui débarque sans crier gare. On pourrait presque pousser jusqu'à Janitor Joe (autre incontournable de feu le label Amphetamine Reptile) dans l'attaque de la mélodie qui se cache sous l'apparente virilité, la rythmique pulsatoire et on peut même aller jusqu'au timbre de la voix proche du mec d'Hammerhead. Ca ne m'avait jamais sauté aux yeux mais là c'est clair et ça reviendra régulièrement me titiller les neurones lors de mémorables pépites punk-rock que le trio sème sur ce Let them sink. Des riffs au tranchoir, une approche de plus en plus basique mais loin d'être simpliste, un chanteur qui crache son venin, un bon son de basse distordue (Counter Empathy) par une demoiselle dont la dentelle n'est pas la matière préférée. On pourrait presque rajouter les Allemands de Kurt (Short cut) à la litanie toujours stérile des références mais Scul Hazzards est unique. Un mélange inspiré de toutes les grandes tendances du noise-rock avec deux interludes musicaux pour mieux reprendre son souffle, les trois titres du single venant juste de sortir dans une version identique (dommage) et un wagon de morceaux très rapidement addicitfs, vous faisant brûler d'impatience de voir tout ce beau monde sur une scène. A écouter en boucle jusqu'à plus soif.

Last Few Bucks / Needle's Eye / Plastic Protective Review - Perte et Fracas (France)
A l'aube d'une tournée européenne qui verra nos trois australiens traînés leurs guêtres en France et d'un premier album Let them sink out débarquant en même temps si le timing est bon, Scul Hazzards nous livre un single trois titres direct dans ta face. Pas grand-chose de changer par rapport à leurs deux premiers maxis mais ils le font encore mieux. C'est comme pour les pubs sur la lessive. On croit arriver à la perfection mais ça lave encore plus blanc que blanc. Et pourtant, ces trois titres sonnent encore plus juste, plus parfait, plus cinglant. Sur une base Rapeman / Jesus Lizard, Scul Hazzards sait aller à l'essentiel. Ca commence par les deux minutes expéditives de Last few bucks qui vous les enlèvent de la poche. Sur ce coup là, on pourrait presque penser à du Kurt avec ce riff de guitare ultra simple et cette rythmique percutante. Jouissif. Ca enchaîne à fond les ballons ovales avec Needle's eye. L'usine à gaz est en pleine ébullition. On est dans le meilleur de la noise, le haut du panier du Chicago sound et quand le trio décide de ralentir la cadence au milieu du morceau, le titre n'en prend que plus d'ampleur. L'enchaînement avec Plastic protective est parfait. On reste sur un tempo menaçant, faussement lent. Le duo basse-batterie est indéboulonnable. Le chanteur-guitariste s'acharne dessus comme un chien sur son os, laissant croire que la déflagration va arriver à tous moments. Mais tout est sous contrôle, la tension est à son comble et les pratiquement six minutes de ce titre de bravoure n'en paraissent que deux. Scul Hazzards n'est pas le genre de groupe à en faire des tonnes, à inscrire le mot complexité à son vocabulaire de groupe pourtant issu de la génération dorée des groupes noise des années 90. Ils reprennent le flambeau avec leurs propres armes d'Australiens, franches, tendues, sans fioritures, idéalement aiguisées. Brillant.

Last Few Bucks / Needle's Eye / Plastic Protective Review - Rave Magazine (Brisbane)
Last Few Bucks lurches into life with the same knifing guitar, thumping drums and gurgling bass as the band’s previous EP. But where at the time the new line-up and musical direction hadn’t convinced me of any progression between releases, the Plastic Protective 7-inch consolidates SCUL HAZZARDs’ sound considerably. Count Less Dead still felt formative, as if the band were grasping at something, and I feared it were for a departed member. Not so – frontman/engineer Steven Smith really has his shit together. The vocals no longer feel tentative, instead interplaying dynamically with his screeching guitar. The band too, move far more comfortably together, and the result is an abundance of intricate subtleties, referencing both the post-punk and no-wave without getting tied down in nostalgia or trend. It’s personal and visceral, and blatantly world class. SCUL HAZZARDs are Brisbane’s simultaneous proposition to France’s Underground Railroad, and that – I think – is saying something.

Count Less Dead Review - The Organ (London)
One of those edgy jagged pointy rusty-edged violently noisy, relentlessly dense, good, low end staccato bands that violently jab (and jab and jab) at you (the Camden Lurch, anyone remember that?). Aggressive, almost primitive locked on Red Eye Express, Scissormen, Muy Feo, Jesus Lizard, Rapeman style, a deconstructionist sound that just maybe knee deep in blood that isn’t theirs. A three piece from Australia with an impressive five track EP and drawing their own lines in your dirt. Focused, raw and almost nostalgic and they could be homage freaks! We like this. Five fine tracks and they say they’re about to head out on an Australian tour before they set about relocating to the other side of the world and take on London – someone re-open the Falcon and alert the Tortoise Liberation Front. Great artwork as well.

Count Less Dead Review - The Next Clues (France)
Les Scul Hazzards reviennent avec sous le bras une nouvelle offrande toujours sous la forme d’un cinq titres en digipack. Le chanteur et le batteur se sont faits la malle ou se sont vus remerciés, ce qui fait que de la formation originelle ne restent que Steven Smith (guitare/chant/production) et Tiffany Milne à la basse. Le désormais power-trio - rien de mieux que les rangs resserrés pour faire du bruit - baigne toujours dans le rock noise de haute volée. On ressent quand même des changements notamment au niveau du son, plus sale. Les compos se sont durcies et sont plus torturées pour mon plus grand plaisir. Les trois de Brisbane ont le sens de la composition qui tue. C’est vif, dangereux, mordant, tranchant, primaire et féroce... en somme, tout ce que devrait être un bon groupe de rock. Cet EP se conclut sur un Vague Dream qui finit de nous achever à coups d’une basse assassine. Enorme. Le futur premier album risque à coup sûr de tout ravager sur son passage. Je l’attends de pied ferme. (9.5/10)

Count Less Dead Review - Timeoff (Brisbane)
Once a purely primal force, the lifeblood as well as the music of this local three-piece is so much more sophisticated on this, their second EP. The five songs thrown down here are all mangled and mangy, but delivered with such a ferocity that you wish the Jesus Lizard and Rapeman still existed. A lot has changed in the band’s short time and it’s only made them stronger… so don’t go picking fights! (DC)

House of Heads EP - Single of the week - Inpress (Melbourne)
While 2006 has not been a bumper year for fans of scum-drenched cerebral noise rock, here comes Brisbanians SCUL HAZZARDs to save the day at the 11th hour. This five-song EP will have you scrubbing your extremities with wire wool and muttering "Unclean" before you know it, and then after that you'll dance yourself into a frenzy (or maybe the other way around). Either way, it roolz hard.

Booking/Info: sculhazzards@hotmail.com