Bad Sauna has that atonal, rhythmic guitar attack that puts one in a certain Chicago mood--Touch and Go in the 90s, that is. This Helsinki act (with one of the great names of all time) isn't afraid to channel its aggression or its playfulness.

Bad Sauna Potslojo (self-released)

The lyrics are in Finnish, so I have no idea what has this quartet so churned up. Not that I need to know. These songs blister with a sunny countenance. There's just a hint of shoegazy melody peeking through the buzzsaw, though it is often decapitated by the end of a given song.

The over-the-top energy sets these songs on fire. These songs whip and bash their way to satisfying ends, but not before delivering beauty and pain in equal measure. And I'm also beginning to realize that my reference point is a bit off. This certainly owes a lot to the aforementioned Touch and Go acts, but all the distorted riffage brings me around to grunge punk--think early Iceburn or Hemlock.

Does all the distortion make this some sort of psychedelic hardcore? I'll have to think about that. There are a few (very) heavy psych references in the riffage, but most of this is kinetic, sledgehammer-driven punk. I hear a lot of the past here, but the feel is modern (and, of course, Finnish). A total blast. You cannot play this loud enough.

Jon Worley