No Way Records specializes in `80s hardcore, and Acid Reflux's Secret Power 7" is one of their latest examples.

Acid Reflux are somewhere in between Big Boys and the Freeze and use their four to five songs to go on tirades against cops who shut down shows, white crimes and, well, zombies. They have a bear of a vocalist, who snarls with a throaty but very understandable delivery. That makes couplets like "Who am I? / What am I?" ("Half Spic") less of a self-reflective journey and more like a reminder of that talking dolls skit on YouTube. Then there's "On the Bus," which gets pissed about the "zombie horde...they're all hungry for my guts / ... / I wish I had my fucking gun." George Romero's moshin.

The last song is untitled and instrumental, giving us a reprieve with brief Bad Brains-styled dub.

It's a good thing Acid Reflux do `80s hardcore well and catchy enough to make up for some pretty groanworthy word content. In the least, they're at a nice level of playful observation and it'd be pleasant to see them capitalize better on that.

On the Bus