DOA, Canada’s punk legends and the originators of hardcore, are set to pummel with a great new album, Kings of Punk, Hockey and Beer. A short time ago, Canadian punk godfather Joe “Shithead” Keithley was sourly contemplating the namby-pamby-ness of the new National Hockey League style, and as he reached for the solace of a beer, it occurred to him, “Hey, damn this corporate NHL crap! Let’s give the people some real rough-and-tumble on the ice! The DOA way!” Kings of Punk, Hockey and Beer finds DOA returning to their roots. The band invented the “Hockey Rock” genre with their breakthough “Taking Care of Business” video in 1987 that featured BTO guitarist Randy Bachman (of course, all due credit to Phil Esposito and Marcel Dionne for their “interesting” attempt at Hockey Rock in the early ’70s), then formed their own team, The DOA Murder Squad, perpetual champions of the VMHL, out-scoring rival hockey bands like Bad Religion, The Hanson Brothers, and SNFU and roughing them up just for fun. This album is a knock-’em-down, beat-’em-in-the-alley affair that combines the three most important things in the DOA world: punk, hockey, and beer! The boys smash you into the corner with the anthemic “Donnybrook,” then they slash you with “Dead Men Tell No Tales,” and just as you’re returning to consciousness, they pitchfork you with “Beer Liberation Army” and “Beat ’Em, Bust ’Em.” The kings of high-sticking also nail you with a great version of the Stompin’ Tom Conners classic, “The Hockey Song.” As you skate further back into your own end, they hit you with a powerful re-write of wrestler Freddie Blassie’s “Pencil Neck Geek.” It’s a non-stop bruising album that will have you limping to the trainer’s room looking for a cold one. Come join in the mayhem with DOA, the Kings of Punk, Hockey and Beer.
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